Blickle Cinema
The Blickle Cinema at the Belvedere 21 is a venue with a dynamic and diverse lineup – admission is free!
There are many ways that this site is unique: initially designed by Karl Schwanzer as part of the Austrian Pavilion for the 1958 World’s Fair in Brussels, it is the last surviving movie theater of its era in Vienna, preserved in its original state.
Situated on the same level as the museum’s main exhibition space, the auditorium fosters an intimate dialogue between the visual arts and the moving image.
The Blickle Cinema’s unique architecture provides a versatile space for film screenings as well as experimental and innovative projects. The classical layout of the auditorium and stage allows for a multifaceted interaction between the moving image and various time-based, applied, and visual arts, encompassing music, literature, performance, and site-specific art installations. Film, in all its forms, always occupies a central position. Discursive formats such as academic lectures, presentations, and artist talks round out the current program. The Blickle Kino also maintains close partnerships with numerous film festivals.
Following the Belvedere’s acquisition and reopening of the museum site, the landmark movie theater was renovated according to its original plan with the generous support of the Blickle Foundation. The Blickle Cinema meets all cinematic technical standards and enables the curatorial team and cooperation partners to use and present the theater in a variety of ways.
Blickle Program
Photo: eSeL.at / Belvedere, Vienna
Photo: Johannes Stoll / Belvedere, Vienna
Photo: eSeL.at / Belvedere, Vienna
Photo: eSeL.at / Belvedere, Vienna
Photo: Johannes Stoll / Belvedere, Vienna
Photo: eSeL.at / Belvedere, Vienna
Photo: eSeL.at / Belvedere, Vienna
Photo: Johannes Stoll / Belvedere, Vienna
The Blickle program uses a multimedia and interdisciplinary approach with a focus on film and video art. Additionally, it facilitates a multifaceted dialogue between the moving image and other art forms, challenging the theater’s conventions and integrating them within the context of film and art history.
The Film and _ series, for instance, presents historical and contemporary approaches to the artist film, (re)activating it to explicitly highlight its connection to other visual, applied, and time-based art forms. The series also regularly screens and examines experimental film projects by contemporary filmmakers.
The Ursula Blickle Video Archive (Belvedere Research Center),
with its more than 2,500 titles, offers the opportunity to explore video art spanning from the late 1960s and beyond. During the Belvedere 21 Open House Days, entire days are dedicated to the presentation of specially curated programs at the Blickle Kino.
The Moving Collection format showcases the latest additions to the Belvedere’s collection and, when possible, provides the opportunity to discuss them in the presence of the artists. The Blickle program provides a diverse and unconventional platform for debates on the history and future of moving images and fosters creative collaborations with filmmakers and artists.
Curated by Stefanie Reisinger.
Archive
