Heather J.
Yelp
Kunst Haus Wien embodies all that's avant garde, wild, and eccentric about Vienna's finest modern architect, Friedensreich Hundertwasser. Here was a man as much artisan as artist, someone dissatisfied with modernism in cities. You can feel his disappointment with straight lines, prefab concrete, and industrial greens and greys predominating through so many housing units. What makes him truly intriguing was his commitment to improving the architectural lot of the working classes rather than expending time and energy developing fantastical condos for the rich.
The result of his unrestricted vision is Kunst Haus Wien. Hundertwasser Haus is the actual apartment building he redesigned, to much controversy, but visitors cannot explore those glorious hallways and units without access from a tenant. KHW is the closest visitors get and it's a pretty impressive sight. Maybe not the same as seeing a tree growing beside your bed, but it's close.
Hundertwasser insisted that design should be a sensory experience from head to toe. His rolling floors meant to wake up your feet and reward your legs. Radiant mosaics made from hundreds of jeweled trove are dazzling when struck by sunlight, and especially on a grim winter day, the splashes of colour immediately lifted my spirits. Huge paintings and elaborate glasswork give a wonderful infusion of colour where cookie cutter apartment blocks and plain flats have left so many of us accustomed to beige carpet, off-white walls, and some unoffensive, drab colour for accents. I'm with the Kunst Haus Wien's aesthetic, even if the undulating walls and rounded entranceways go a little farther than I might prefer.
Everything almost begs to be explored hands on. Don't just look but touch to see the play of textures, shades, and materials used throughout the museum. Abstract shapes and organic planes all mix together into something so different from the everyday, but especially pleasing. The models give unexpected insight into a very gifted mind, and as an architect, Hundertwasser took inspiration as much from forests as he did from wandering down the street. Even a neophyte like me found plenty of surprises by learning about his tastes and ideas.
Just wandering here and there as fancy took me was a wonderful escape from a more structured vacation itinerary.
The gift shop is stuffed with all kinds of bric-a-brac, including a number of art prints, souvenirs, maps, and little magnets and keychains with Hundertwasser's highly distinctive style. These aren't cheap mementos, and the photos you take away are themselves priceless.