With a versatile program and exciting exhibitions, the Vienna furniture museum was able to inspire a large audience as part of the Schönbrunn Group 2024. With an increase in sales of approx. 32 % and a visitor: Interior climb of approx. 17 % compared to 2023, the Vienna Möbelmuseum can look back on an extremely successful year.
With the opening of the Special exhibition “Here we are! Women in design 1900 – today. An exhibition of the Vitra Design Museum “The Möbelmuseum Vienna laid the foundation stone for the annual focus“ Women in Design and Empowerment ”at the beginning of 2024. The exhibition, against the background of the fight for equality, told a new, polyphonic design story, which illustrates that women have made decisive contributions to the development of modern design.
The final formed the brilliant special exhibition from 8.11.2024 to 2.3.2025 “Housewife. Artist. Wildfang. Hedy Lamarr 110. ”, curated by Danielle Spera and Stefan Fuhrer (design design). The exhibition drew the path of Exceptions from a protected Jewish Viennese parents to Hollywood and also gave very private insights into the life of the versatile woman.
„In this special exhibition we not only present the actress that was considered the “most beautiful woman in the world”, but we show people Hedy Lamarr, her creative side, her curiosity and her attempts to improve the world with inventions. Her sharp mind, courage and innovative strength remained wrongly underestimated for a long time. To say it in her own words: she lived out her creativity and did the unexpected
“, Explained Dr. Danielle Spera, curator of the exhibition on the occasion of the opening.
„The special exhibition showed the diversity and the ambivalence of Hedy Lamarrs how they broke the limits of the conventions and their courage to dare and keep reinventing itself. Our visitors were able to immerse themselves in the exciting life of Hedy Lamarrs and also be inspired by their business
“, Added Petra Reiner, Head of Möbelmuseum Vienna.
„I am very proud that in 2024 we focused on female design and empowerment in the Vienna furniture museum as part of the Schönbrunn Group and set a strong sign. With “housewife. Artist. Wildfang. Hedy Lamarr 110 ”we finished the focus with a climax. We look forward to the success of the public and the excellent cooperation
“, Klaus Panholzer Castle, CEO/Managing Director of the Schönbrunn Group.
Program items for the annual focus of 2024 “Women in design and empowerment”:
„Here we are! Women in design 1900 – today. An exhibition of the Vitra Design Museum ”. Against the background of the fight for equality, the exhibition tells a new, polyphonic design story, which illustrates that women have made decisive contributions to the development of modern design. Works by around 80 designers, including protagonists of modernity such as Eileen Gray, Charlotte Perria, Lilly Reich or Clara Porseet, were shown, entrepreneurs such as Florence Knoll and Armi Ratia, but also less well -known personalities such as the social reformer Jane Addams. Contemporary positions were represented by designers such as Matali Crasset, Patricia Urquiola, Julia Lohmann or the Matri Archi (TECTURE) collective and lead visitors: inside to the present and future.
With “For her: Rooms for Women”, the museum presented a new female theme path through the permanent exhibition and with “From her: Furniture of women” a gallery presentation of well-known Austrian designers. The thematic path, curated by Dr. Eva B. Ottillinger (Department of Department Department 2 – Historical Collections, Federal Ministry of Labor and Economy, Section VII – Cultural Heritage) with “Spotlights” through the constant collection in the Vienna furniture museum. A tour of the museum’s permanent collection put ten room facilities and ensembles, which were designed especially for women, in the spotlight. There was Maria Theresa’s love for East Asia, the Egyptian cabinet of Maria Ludovica, Empress Elisabeth’s furniture from Hermesvilla or the apartment of Lucy Rie.
It was only in the twentieth century that women gave access to higher artistic and technical studies that opened up independent job opportunities as architects, arts and crafts and designers. With the Gallery presentation “From her: Furniture of women” the furniture museum showed twelve female positions from the interwar period to today. These include designs by Margarete Schütte-Lihotzky and other well-known local and national designers.
Presentation of the showcase: ceramic & porcelain design
In addition to furniture and interiors from the constant collection, ceramic and porcelain design of women in showcase exhibitions were also temporarily moved into the field of vision in the Vienna furniture museum in 2024. The Austrian ceramist Gudrun Baudisch, who is presented with her work at the “Wiener Werkstätte”, with her workshop “Keramik Hallstatt” and with her work at the “Group H” with her work at the “Wiener Werkstätte”.
After that, the presentation “Do it differently! Designers of the Porcelain Manufaktur Augarten ”.
Summer cinema in the courtyard
In the months of July and August, visitors were able to look forward to an exciting open-air film experience. A varied program was offered in the open air. Among other things, a documentary about the “Bauhaus women” and female art was seen up to the present.
Further information and selected images can be found in Press Corner And under the following Media link. The image material is available for honorary publication as part of the editorial reporting.