Austrian Mega Collector Francesca von Habsburg Threatens to

16/11/2015
Francesca von Habsburg to Move Collection ­ artnet News
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Aust ri a n M eg a C o l l ec t o r F ranc e sc a vo n H a b sb urg
Th reat e ns t o M o ve TB A2 1 F o unda t i on t o
Swi t z erl a nd
Henri Neuendorf, Monday, November 9, 2015
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Francesca von Habsburg, art collector and founder of art foundation ThyssenBornemisza Art Contemporary (T-BA21)
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In an interview with the Swiss Sonntagszeitung that has sent shock waves
through Austria's art scene, Vienna's best-known arts patron complained
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considering moving her art foundation, TBA21, across the border to
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Switzerland, the country of her birth. There, she said, her collection would
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16/11/2015
Francesca von Habsburg to Move Collection ­ artnet News
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Hopes for a move to a larger space in the museum quarter near Vienna's train station
are said to have contributed to von Habsburg's deliberations.
Photo: TBA 21 Foundation
Von Habsburg's sympathizers are less than surprised, saying that
contemporary art doesn't really stand a chance in the capital of art
nouveau and nostalgia.
They point out that the Generali Foundation moved to Salzburg in 2014,
BAWAG Contemporary closed in 2013, and the Essl Museum in nearby
Klosterneuburg is on the verge of collapse due to financial problems. On
the other hand, over the past year, Vienna Fair was renamed Vienna
Contemporary, a new version of Vienna Fair was launched, and the city
welcomed the first Vienna Biennale.
The city councilor for culture, Andreas Mailath-Pokorny, insisted the
scene is alive and well. He praised Habsburg's conceptual art collection
as an extremely important and appreciated component of the city's
cultural landscape. He added that the local government would be
prepared to hold talks over a solution, but warned the city could not pay
for a private collection.
Vienna has been criticized for being too conservative to appreciate von Habsburg's
contemporary art collection.
Photo: Fisk Frisk magazine
Supporters have held up von Habsburg as "the Peggy Guggenheim of
Vienna." However, von Habsburg expressed her disappointment with the
low visitor numbers to TBA21 and lack of interest in contemporary art in
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16/11/2015
Francesca von Habsburg to Move Collection ­ artnet News
Vienna. She described Vienna as "static," and concluded by saying
"Austria isn't for me after all."
The current exhibition at TBA21, by Brazilian artist Ernesto Neto, runs until
the end of November, after which the foundation will remain closed for the
winter to allow for time to deliberate. No upcoming exhibitions have
currently been announced.
Having married the grandson of Austria's last reigning emperor, Karl
Habsburg-Lothringen, the 57-year-old collector enjoys a special status
amongst Austrians due to the nostalgic glamour of royalty and wealth.
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Henri Neuendorf
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