Austrian Watercolours in the Leopold Museum

I have just returned from the Leopold Museum, where I saw two of the current exhibitions. One is a Schiele show dedicated to Dr. Leopold himself upon the occasion of his 85th birthday and comprises in most parts of the permanent exhibitions, spiced up with interviews of Leopold and his wife and a few personal items from both their life and the one of Schiele.

The other one, "Verborgene Schätze der österreichischen Aquarellmalerei", is more commonly advertised. In a nutshell: It is over-rated by those who celebrate it. The opening gallery is the core of the show with Schiele watercolours, many of which are normally not shown. This gallery is remarkable and by itself, it justifies a visit; the other thing I liked was the way in which the exhibition illustrated the transformation from Biedermeier landscapes to watercolours of the Secessionists and eventually the Austrian expressionism as seen in Schiele's work. This aspect is highlighted in the next two galleries. All other parts of the exhibition are unexciting and neglectable in my opinion.

By the way, the Museumsquartier is already filling up with sun-starving crowds. The enzis (the outdoor furniture) are not out yet, though.