Albertina modern: Angela Stief

Eccentric outfits, a marked affinity for pop culture and a reputation for having a particularly sharp mind with a pronounced feminist streak: Angela Stief is one of the most colorful figures ever to take the helm of a Viennese cultural institution. She has been Director and Chief Curator of the Albertina modern and Head of Contemporary Art in the main Albertina museum since September 2021. One of her major ambitions is to make art more diverse. Stief regularly expands the collection and incorporates works by women, people of color and LGBT artists. Born in Augsburg in 1974, the art historian caused a stir in the Viennese cultural sector in her role as curator of the Kunsthalle Wien (2002-2013), where she focused on female pop art, queer fashion and performance art.

© Sandro E. E. Zanzinger

Volksoper: Lotte de Beer

Dutch opera director Lotte de Beer has been bringing a breath of fresh air to the Vienna Volksoper since the 2022/23 season. Born in 1981, the opera director is the first woman to be appointed director of the traditional music venue on Währinger Gürtel. De Beer is very familiar with Vienna. She has previously directed at the Theater an der Wien and the Kammeroper. De Beer, who studied directing at the Amsterdam University of the Arts and studied piano, singing and acting in Maastricht, is known for her very contemporary productions and undogmatic approaches. At the Volksoper, she is building bridges between the familiar and the unfamiliar, between tradition and innovation. Her new interpretations – for example of the legendary West Side Story – are acclaimed by audiences and critics alike.

© Jonas Thiller

MAK - Museum of Applied Arts, Vienna: Lilli Hollein

The MAK - Museum of Applied Arts, one of the most important institutions for Viennese turn-of-the-century design from around 1900, has been under the direction of Lilli Hollein since September 2021. Born in Vienna in 1972, the curator and cultural manager is a recognized design expert and was co-founder of the Vienna Design Week in 2007 – Vienna’s most important annual design event, which she directed from 2013 to 2021. Her penchant for good design is in her blood, so to speak. Hollein is the daughter of the Viennese architect and Pritzker Prize winner Hans Hollein (1934-2014). Her brother Max Hollein is the director of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. To some extent, Lilli Hollein’s involvement in the MAK is also a return. She studied industrial design at the University of Applied Arts, which is located in the same building complex as the MAK.

© Katharina Gossow / MAK

Jewish Museum Vienna: Barbara Staudinger

Barbara Staudinger (born 1973) took over as director of the Jewish Museum Vienna in July 2022. Before that, the Viennese native held positions as director of the Jewish Museum Augsburg Swabia and as curator at the Jewish Museum Munich. Staudinger was also part of the curatorial team behind the redesign of the Austrian exhibition at the Memorial and Museum Auschwitz-Birkenau. During her professional career, she has worked on many research projects and written academic publications on Jewish history and culture. Staudinger is not afraid to devise controversial exhibitions. She has a reputation for being open to experimentation and aims to appeal to a broad audience. 

© Ouriel Morgensztern

MuseumsQuartier: Bettina Leidl

Bettina Leidl, a native of Upper Austria, has been the director of the MuseumsQuartier Wien (MQ), one of the largest and most exciting cultural areas in the world, since the beginning of 2022. The former imperial court stables house countless museums, cultural initiatives, restaurants, cafés and stores over an area of 90,000 square meters. Cultural Manager Leidl (born in 1962) was previously involved in the MQ in a professional context between 1997 and 2011 as Commercial Director of the Kunsthalle Wien. Her management of the Kunst Haus Wien (2014-2022) earned her much acclaim. She was also able to apply her skills to positioning the Foto-Festival Foto Wien as its director (2018-2022). Leidl’s main objectives for the MuseumsQuartier are an extensive greening and unsealing of the surrounding area and incorporating artworks in publicly accessible areas.

© Stefan Oláh

RSO & MdW: Marin Alsop

The ORF Radio Symphony Orchestra (RSO) has been under the baton of Marin Alsop since September 2019. She is the first woman to conduct the RSO. Born in New York in 1956, she is also the first woman to teach orchestral conducting at the internationally renowned University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna (mdw). Alsop is considered a pioneer in an industry that is heavily dominated by men. One of her mentors was Leonard Bernstein, under whom Alsop studied. There is barely a major orchestra in the world that Alsop has not yet conducted. As conductor of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, she became the first woman ever to direct a major US orchestra. Alsop is regarded as an innovative artist who seeks to appeal to audiences of all ages. In addition to her commitments in Vienna, she is much in demand as a guest conductor.

© Nancy Horowitz

Kunsthalle Wien: Michelle Cotton

In the summer of 2024, Michelle Cotton from the UK will take on the role of Artistic Director of Kunsthalle Wien, an exhibition venue for international contemporary art and discourse with branches in the MuseumsQuartier and on Karlsplatz. Born in 1977, the curator and art historian studied English and literature at the renowned King’s College London. Her professional background includes roles as Director of the Bonner Kunstverein from 2015 to 2019 and most recently as Program Director at MUDAM, the national museum for contemporary art in Luxembourg. Cotton has set herself the goal of opening up the Kunsthalle to more diverse audiences. She is also known for bringing new artists to the fore through her program of exhibitions.

© PID/David Bohmann

viennacontemporary: Francesca Gavin

Vienna is widely regarded as a hotbed of contemporary and creative art. Numerous art events take place in Vienna every spring and especially in the fall. Launched in 2015, viennacontemporary attracts art lovers from Austria and abroad with its focus on art from Central and Eastern Europe. British artist Francesca Gavin took over as Artistic Director of the event at the end of 2023. The accomplished art expert is a curator and the Editor-in-Chief of the Parisian art magazine “Epoch” and was also co-curator of the Manifesta 11 Biennale in Zurich. viennacontemporary will return to its original location, Messe Wien, in 2024.

© Kane Hulse