Drawing on thousands of posters, this exhibition shows a selection of the most influential Vienna Festival (Wiener Festwochen) campaigns and opens up an exceptional panorama of its history. Some of these posters offer a subtle reflection of their time, others cannot but trigger memories among the people of the city: memories of unforgotten theatre scandals, heated debates, and first and foremost of great artistic experiences. References include charged moments from the city’s social history like the occupation of Arena in 1976 as well as iconic moments such as the opening concert by Falco in 1985. The posters chronicle the passage of time and design languages, and most of all the evolution of the festival itself up to its current form and visual identity. In the course of the exhibition, digital access will also for the first time be provided for the entire collection of the Vienna Festival (Wiener Festwochen) poster archive: graphic experiments, visionary designs and famously amusing campaigns.

GRAND OPENING
We cordially invite you to the exhibition opening
on 21 April at 7pm at the MAK!

Talking about the exhibition:

• Gregor Murth, Chief Financial Officer, MAK
• Anita Eichinger, Director, Wienbibliothek
• Milo Rau, Artistic Director of the Vienna Festival | Free Republic of Vienna
• Franz J. Gangelmayer, Head of Printed Matter and Posters, Wienbibliothek
• Peter Klinger, Deputy Head, MAK Library and Works on Paper Collection

Free admission to the exhibition opening

A joint project by Vienna Festival (Wiener Festwochen) | Free Republic of Vienna and MAK – Museum of Applied Arts in cooperation with Wienbibliothek im Rathaus