The Collection - A History with Future

Building on the collection of the Berlin art dealer Wolfgang Gurlitt (1888-1965), the holdings have been richly expanded since 1953.

The Collection consists of roughly 1,600 works of painting, sculpture and object art and over 10,000 works on paper, including 850 photographs.
The earliest works in the museum are from the first half of the 19th century (C.D. Friedrich, J.B. Reiter). From the field of classical Modernism, LENTOS has important paintings by Klimt, Schiele, Kokoschka, Corinth and Pechstein.
From the inter-war period there are works of German and Austrian Expressionism and Neue Sachlichkeit (Müller, Modersohn-Becker). The period after 1945 is illustrated with works of international art, including paintings, sculptures and graphic works by Appel, Bayer, Nay, Warhol, Haring, Lassnig, Lüpertz, Rainer, Chillida, Cragg, Scully, Balkenhol, Export.
In addition to the outstanding graphic art collection with important compilations from Kubin to Pop Art, LENTOS also has several hundred art-historically significant photographs (A. Rodtschenko, Man Ray, H. Bayer).

LENTOS is an institution that is constantly moving. Over the years the Collection has been continually expanded. The focus today is on contemporary Austrian art (including Aigner, Golz, Krystufek, Lienbacher, Kempinger, Lois and Franziska Weinberger). This expansion of the Collection is made possible, not least of all, through donations and regular endowments from the "Friends of the Art Museum".