It was a time of upheaval in Europe: the Iron Curtain had fallen and the Cold War was over. As globalisation gained momentum, Vienna moved closer to the heart of international developments. The situation was perfectly illustrated by art itself, and Vienna became the focal point of a European cultural scene that was opening up to the East. Diversity in all artistic media was the defining character­istic of the decade.

“The 1990s” offers a panoramic view of Vienna’s art scene of the time. An exhibit of unprecedented breadth, it features 255 works by 245 artists displayed in three consecutive acts at Wien Museum MUSA. Through a rich mix of artistic media that includes painting, sculpture, photography, performance and video art, the show examines issues relating to politics, memory, the environment, xenophobia, gender as well as kitsch and irony.

MUSA’s series of decade­based exhibitions represents a cross­section through one of Austria’s largest collections of contemporary art. With the 1990s, that series now covers no less than half a century.