Never Final! The Evolving Museum

April 26, 1979, marked a milestone for what is now mumok – the Museum moderner Kunst Stiftung Ludwig Wien: the collections of the former 20er Haus were significantly expanded through extensive, art historically important permanent loans from Peter and Irene Ludwig of Aachen. This collection increase also necessitated additional exhibition space. Alongside the 20er Haus, the Museum of Modern Art opened in the Palais Liechtenstein. The intense networking by Künstlerhaus President Hans Mayr since the mid 1970s, in tandem with the strategic diplomacy of Hermann Fillitz (Professor of Art History at the University of Vienna), bore fruit in terms of cultural policy with this expansion. Nearly 200 loaned works not only enhanced the museum’s holdings but also introduced new focal points: for instance, Pop Art and Photorealism were added, complementing the earlier acquisition of Wolfgang Hahn’s collection, which emphasizes Nouveau Réalisme.
In 1981, the founding of the Austrian Ludwig Foundation by then Minister of Science Hertha Firnberg and the Ludwigs represented another major step. A large portion of the previously loaned works thus became the property of the foundation and was secured within the museum’s holdings as permanent loans. In return, the Republic of Austria pledged an annual, inflation protected payment to the foundation, which enabled it to acquire important works of art in subsequent years that far exceeded the internal acquisition budget.

The Dieter Ronte Era (1979–1989)
This exhibition focuses on the transformation of the institution under the directorship of Dieter Ronte (1979–1989). Representative insights into the heterogeneous development of the collection are set against the cultural policy framework and programmatic decisions of the decade. During this period, the museum laid the groundwork for collaborations with private collectors, took on an active socio political role, and pursued strategic purchases that paved the way for the collection’s key focal areas in the following decades.

Never Final! – The Vision of an Institution
“Never Final” – a phrase coined by Hertha Firnberg – continues to define mumok as a dynamic site of ongoing transformation. In the exhibition, this idea unfolds through an open format featuring interactive furniture and dialogue spaces that present the museum as a platform for collective inquiry, learning, and research. Here, art is not simply presented but is jointly explored and critiqued. 
Visitors can expect an open exhibition format in which the breadth of museum practice is understood as relational work. By engaging in collective reflection and participatory experiences, the institution not only displays art but also actively shapes and interrogates it together with its audiences.

Review and Perspective
The exhibition Never Final! The evolving Museum is part of a series that reevaluates the museum’s collection policy from its beginnings onward. Following presentations on founding director Werner Hofmann (1962–1969) and the era of Alfred Schmeller (1969–1979), this latest show now turns its focus to the tenure of Dieter Ronte (1979–1989).

Curated by Marie Therese Hochwartner and Dieter Ronte

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