The Belvedere in Vienna is one of the world’s leading museums. The institution's central tasks focus on exhibiting, researching, collecting, communicating, and preserving. Ongoing advancements and digitalization in all areas ensure the museum’s importance into the future.
The preservation of heritage and embrace of the new.
The Belvedere is a World Heritage Site, a Baroque jewel, and the site of the Austrian State Treaty. It is both one of the oldest museums in the world and a venue for contemporary art. As one of the largest cultural institutions in the country and an Austrian landmark, we are faced with the challenge of evolving amidst the differing priorities of cultural and scientific demands, loyalty to the local community and tourism. While we follow our mission to preserve the past, we also seek to break new ground. We stand as a mediator of history and as an inconvenient interrogator of the present. We are the country's cultural hub of international standing, and exist in the transnational digital space.
The Belvedere is a museum of influence, a museum of relevance.
A museum of relevance has a presence in people’s minds and hearts. It is a point of reference in a disorienting present. A historical constant, it links the past with the future. It is independent. It sees itself as a learning and teaching organization. A museum of relevance takes a stand on contemporary issues and social policy. It raises its voice for art and its democratizing potential. It takes responsibility for ecological concerns about the planet. Its contribution to the development of society promotes social justice, gender equality, and diversity. Its attitude sets an example, its voice is heard.
Art is for everyone.
Culture is not a luxury for the so-called elite, but the foundation of a free society. Our exhibitions, educational programs, events, and digital content cater to a broad, diverse public, that is, everyone. We communicate in a credible, understandable, and interactive way, addressing real-life topics and current issues. For our visitors, this opens new perspectives and broadens the scope of action. They leave the museum richer for having entered.
The Belvedere is a place of engagement.
We are curious to see how our work is perceived and eager to learn from visitors and different communities. We provide a setting to bring people together. The diversity of our local community and the internationality of our visitors are reflected in – besides the Belvedere team itself – our exhibitions, in the topics we explore, and in our programs, which are driven by an equal appreciation for all.
Art, research, and education are our core domains.
The collection is at the heart of our work. Our mission is to bring historical art into the present by recognizing and conveying each work as an expression of an astute and creative contemporaneity. Respect and appreciation are the hallmarks of our collaboration with contemporary artists, as is our commitment to communicating their work in the best way possible. As scholars, we operate within networks. We share our knowledge, openly discuss research results, and learn from these exchanges.
The Belvedere is committed to promoting a culture of equality and diversity. With over half of our employees being women, we maintain a balanced representation of women in senior management positions across all levels of our organization.
Nevertheless, we continue to implement equality and diversity policies. Embracing diversity offers great opportunities and benefits to the Museum, including fostering acceptance and effectiveness, driving social change, and changing values.
The Equal Opportunity and Diversity Plan outlines a wide range of goals and initiatives to raise awareness, promote women, ensure equal treatment of women and men, and encourage diversity within the company.
The basic principles aim to protect dignity in the workplace and to ensure that at least 50% of permanent employees and management positions are held by women. In cases where women are under-represented, the aim is to reach this quota.
Other goals include advocating for an active equal opportunity policy, minimizing the gender pay gap, promoting diversity (e.g., through comprehensive employee training), providing parental leave for all employees, and fundamentally improving work-life balance.
The legal basis is provided by Federal Equal Opportunity Act and the Federal Museum Act.
As a federal museum and one of Austria’s most important cultural institutions, we are proud of our commitment to fairness, equal opportunity, and diversity. We are therefore particularly pleased that our efforts have been recognized and that we have been awarded the equalitA seal of approval by the Federal Ministry of Labor and Economic Affairs on April 23, 2024.
equalitA – The Seal of Quality for In-House Advancement of Women – is awarded to companies that ensure gender equality in the workplace, promote the careers of women and thus support and make visible the professional equality of women and men both within their own company and beyond.
