Hidden Treasures shines the spotlight on central works from the Leopold Museum which have not been exhibited for a long time due to their precarious state of preservation.
The presentation affords exciting insights into the many facets of the collection, which includes paintings by Tina Blau, Kolo Moser and Anton Kolig, graphic works by Lovis Corinth, Bertold Löffler and Maria Likarz-Strauss, as well as important arts-and-crafts objects and items of furniture by Dagobert Peche, Josef Hoffmann and Otto Wagner. At the same time, the presentation reflects one of the key responsibilities of a museum, which, along with research, education and the presentation of artworks, resides in the preservation of art for our cultural memory.
Since the first presentation of the project Hidden Treasures in 2016, we have been able to win numerous patrons whose generous financial involvement will contribute to making these treasures permanently accessible to the public once more. The comparison between already “activated” treasures and those still waiting to be “revived” illustrates the broad spectrum of today’s conservational possibilities, which range from securing the basic substance of an artwork to restoration work concerning appearance or presentation all the way to preventative maintenance.