From March 11 to June 29, 2025, the Kunsthistorisches Museum will be showing masterpieces by Pieter Bruegel the Elder, Giuseppe Arcimboldo, Jacopo and Leandro Bassano and numerous other 16th century artists in its spring exhibition.
How did people in the Renaissance understand nature and time? How was this visualized in art? What role did the numerous fascinating seasonal and monthly cycles play, which were realized in new, multi-layered formulations? The exhibition sheds light on art-historical aspects as well as the content of the paintings, their original purpose and the ideas of those who commissioned them.
Leandro Bassano's fascinating Viennese series of monthly pictures occupies a central position in the exhibition.
occupies a central position in the exhibition. These large-format paintings surprise and delight us with depictions of gentle, hilly landscapes, animals, fruit and all kinds of agricultural tools and activities.
agricultural implements and activities. They also offer unique
insights into everyday life in the territories of the Republic of Venice during the Renaissance.
Renaissance.

Giuseppe Arcimboldo, Summer, dated 1563, limewood. Kunsthistorisches Museum Vienna, Picture Gallery, © KHM-Museumsverband, Kunsthistorisches Museum Vienna
In the 16th century, the depiction of natural objects played an important role and was closely linked to the beginning of the scientific revolution. It was a key element in the visual culture of the Renaissance and not only functioned as a fundamental tool for the transmission of knowledge, but also vividly illustrated the expertise set out in scientific treatises. Science thus relied on art to document the infinite diversity of nature. From the Medici to Emperor Rudolf II, illustrations, drawings, prints and paintings circulated at European courts, feeding both scientific and artistic curiosity.
This multifaceted and stimulating exhibition presents around one hundred works of art: paintings, sculptures and tapestries as well as clocks, globes, scientific instruments and calendars, precious manuscripts and printed works. They show how people orient themselves in the world and find their place in it. Works from the rich holdings of the Kunsthistorisches Museum's collections as well as rarely exhibited loans are on display, making the show a feast for the eyes.
March 11 to June 29, 2025
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