Museum Für Angewandte Kunst

Lonely Planet review

The Museum für angewandte Kunst (Museum of Applied Arts), better known as the MAK, has an extensive collection of household items better described as art pieces. The building which MAK shares with café Österreicher im MAK is excellent. A High Renaissance construction dating from 1871, it offers some fine features in its own right, especially in its ceilings.

Each exhibition room is devoted to a different style, eg Renaissance, baroque, oriental, historicism, empire, Art Deco and the distinctive metalwork of the Wiener Werkstätte. Contemporary artists were invited to present the rooms in ways they felt were appropriate, which has resulted in the creation of eye-catching and unique displays. For example, in the Biedermeier room, Jenny Holzer placed electronic signs near the ceiling so that 'they can be ignored' while Barbara Bloom's display of Art Nouveau chairs is back-lit and presented behind translucent white screens. This takes nothing away from the actual objects on display but rather complements their beauty. The 20th-century design and architecture room is impressive; Frank Gehry's cardboard chair is a gem. The museum's collections encompass tapestries, lace, furniture, glassware and ornaments. Klimt's Stoclet Frieze is upstairs.