The Vienna Actionism Museum (WAM) is the result of a private initiative by several collectors with the aim of giving Viennese Actionism the necessary and deserved attention at the place where it was active. As one of the most important art movements of the 20th century, the WAM is intended to give Viennese Actionism a representative platform that will anchor it both nationally and internationally.
The museum is home to the world’s largest collection of the main exponents Günter Brus (1938-2024), Hermann Nitsch (1938-2022), Otto Muehl (1925-2013) and Rudolf Schwarzkogler (1940-1969) from the early 1960s and 1970s.
This makes the WAM the only international centre that permanently presents Viennese Actionism and its development.
The WAM sees it as its responsibility to make Viennese Actionism accessible to the public in all its complexity. In doing so, the WAM can draw on a comprehensive collection consisting of action photographs and films, sketches, graphics and documentary material such as visual works by the artists.
In addition, the WAM addresses the influence of Viennese Actionism on the current art scene by presenting contemporary positions in an artistic dialogue with Viennese Actionism in regular special exhibitions.
The WAM sees itself as a place of discourse and continuous dialogue. With a wide range of activities, the WAM will span the arc from the heyday of Viennese Actionism in the 1960s and 1970s to contemporary works. The field of tension in which Viennese Actionism operated back then is more explosive than ever due to current socio-political developments. In addition, the WAM aims to develop innovative methods of communication between visitors and works of art: the museum as a place where art can be experienced in a new and individual way. As a lively place that moves and inspires.
Copyright 2025 WA-M Wiener Aktionismus Museum GmbH
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Four Actions
14.02.2025 – 27.07.2025
Exhibition: 14.02.2025 – 27.07.2025
Four Actions
With its second exhibition, the WAM is now going into greater depth. The opening exhibition WHAT IS VIENNA ACTIONISM? first offered an overview of the multi-layered developments of this movement in the 1960s, whereby the individual actions were only presented with exemplary photos. Now, under the title FOUR ACTIONS, an exhibition series is being launched that presents selected actions with all the available historical material. In this way, it will be possible for the first time to understand the actions in all their detail. The aim of the exhibition is to open up new perspectives on the reception of Vienna Actionism through the precise examination of individual actions.
Exhibition: 28.05. – 27.07.2025
Arbeit am Fleisch.
Thomas Feuerstein
Thomas Feuerstein is one of the most exciting and versatile artists of his generation. In his works, he combines art with science, literary history and philosophy – always with an eye on the boundaries of body, identity and life.
Following on from the tradition of Vienna Actionism, Feuerstein addresses central themes such as corporeality, transformation and the merging of art and life. The focus is particularly on the question: How is our relationship to the body changing in a world that is increasingly digital, technological and networked?
July 2025
July 6, Sunday, 4:00 pm
Our director Julia Moebus-Puck gives a personal insight into the development of Vienna Actionism.
July 17, Thursday, 5:00 pm
Tour through the current exhibition.
July 17, Thursday, 6:00 pm
Perishing and enduring, excesses and indulgence, between a longing for death and health fanaticism
July 26, Saturday, 6:00 pm
The Austrian artist Thomas Feuerstein leads through the exhibition ARBEIT AM FLEISCH.
Wednesday 30, July 2025, 7:00 pm
Young Boy Dancing Group has been creating site-specific live performances since 2014 that are characterised by physical intensity, improvisation and a striking DIY aesthetic. …