Interview With Albertina Director: New Perspectives With Gothic Modern

Dr. Gleis: Some of the modern artists featured in the exhibition deliberately engaged with Gothic models, taking their cue from specific works.

For example, Alberto Giacometti copied Dürer's Knight, Death, and the Devil as a young man, while Paula Modersohn-Becker drew from Lucas Cranach at the Louvre.

Similar to the Middle Ages, in modern times - especially against the backdrop of social upheaval and war - the confrontation with death once again became the focus of artistic creation.

This gives rise to interesting parallels: for example, between Hans Holbein's Danse Macabre series and modern variations on this motif, or in the work of Käthe Kollwitz, who draws on medieval Pietà depictions for her motif of a mother mourning her child.

Egon Schiele, who was described as a "neo-Gothic artist" by critic Arthur Roessler, also uses expressive gestures in his depictions of the human body, which can also be found in the radical representations of figures in medieval art.

Incidentally, Edvard Munch was inspired by the expressive lighting effects of Gothic rose windows when designing the sun motif for his project for the university auditorium in Oslo.

World-renowned for its outstanding collection of graphic art, the Albertina is fortunate to possess key works from both the Gothic period, from Albrecht Dürer to Lucas Cranach, and the modern era, from Käthe Kollwitz to Edvard Munch and Max Beckmann. This is precisely why we were keen to build a bridge to our own core collection here in Vienna.