Collecting, one of a museum’s core responsibilities, is central to shaping its identity. Guided by the Belvedere’s mission to present Austrian art within an international context and by a program committed to offering new perspectives on art history, the collection is continually being expanded and updated across all periods. The exhibition ranges from fifteenth-century medieval altarpieces to historical works from later eras and extends into contemporary art—the museum’s fastest-growing collection area. 

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Particular emphasis has been placed on increasing the representation of women artists from the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, as well as other previously underrepresented positions. These include figures associated with the feminist avant-garde and artists whose work engages with experiences of migration. The media on display are as diverse as the historical contexts, spanning paintings, sculptures, drawings, moving-image works, textiles, porcelain, and sound installations. Taken together, they form a fragmentary snapshot of the collection, while also affirming the value of these objects and the museum’s commitment to preserving them for future generations.