Leopold Museum: Austrian Modernism in Vienna

The Leopold Museum was established in 2001, founded by the art collector Rudolf Leopold. It is located in the Museumsquartier in Vienna, Austria, and houses a vast collection of modern Austrian art.

In 1994, over 5,000 exhibits collected over five decades by Elisabeth and Rudolf Leopold were consolidated into the Leopold Museum Private Foundation, with assistance from the Republic of Austria and the National Bank of Austria.

The Leopold Museum is renowned for housing the world's largest collection of works by Egon Schiele, alongside significant pieces by other prominent Austrian artists such as Gustav Klimt, Oskar Kokoschka, and Richard Gerstl.

The museum's collection centers on Austrian art from the early to mid-20th century, illustrating the transition from the Wiener Secession and Art Nouveau movements to Expressionism, featuring key works by Schiele and Klimt.

The Leopold Museum has been involved in numerous controversies regarding Nazi-looted art, with several legal actions and settlements concerning works that were seized from Jewish owners during the Nazi era.

Following extensive legal battles, a settlement was reached regarding Egon Schiele's 'Portrait of Wally,' which had belonged to Jewish art dealer Lea Bondi Jaray, after Rudolf Leopold's death.

In 2008, the museum faced public accusations from Austria's Green Party and the Israelitische Kultusgemeinde (IKG) for allegedly holding art stolen by Nazis, specifically citing Egon Schiele's 'Houses on the Lake.'

In June 2011, the museum reached a settlement with the heirs of art collector Moriz Eisler for the paintings 'Greillenstein Castle' and 'Countess Kuefstein at the Easel' by Anton Romako, which were seized by the Gestapo.

After nearly twenty years of legal disputes, the museum settled in 2016 concerning five works by Egon Schiele with the heirs of Karl Mayländer, who died in a labor camp during World War Two.

In November 2023, heirs of Fritz Grünbaum, a Jewish cabaret artist murdered in the Holocaust, filed a lawsuit demanding the restitution of five Schiele paintings, including 'Dead City III' and various self-portraits.

In 2012, the museum amended street posters for the 'Nackte Männer' exhibition following public outcry over the depiction of genitals, with the artists adding a ribbon to cover the figures.