Permanent exhibitions at the Ferdinandeum
Permanent exhibition ARCHAEOLOGY
1st basement floor
The archaeological exhibition "Time travel into the pre- and early history of Tyrol" in the basement of the Ferdinandeum offers a chronological tour through the earliest settlement history of Tyrol from the Stone Age to the early Middle Ages.
In the thematic blocks of life, economy, religion, cult, death and concepts of the afterlife, the period between the 30th millennium BC and the 9th century AD reveals, on the one hand, bridges and continuities with the cultural environment, in particular with the zones north and south of the Alps, which were important due to the transport geography, and, on the other hand, breaks and cultural independence influenced by the surrounding area, for example with local fashion or ceramics.
Highlights from the Stone Age, Bronze Age, Iron Age, Roman period and the Middle Ages not only convey a section of the archaeological collection of supra-regional importance due to Tyrol's location "in the heart of the Alps"; they also prove that the main Alpine ridge was never a barrier to the transfer or exchange of material goods and intellectual ideas after the last Ice Age.
Cabinet rooms of the Graphic Collection
1st and 2nd upper floor
Currently not on display
An enfilade of four specially adapted graphic cabinets on the 2nd floor of the Ferdinandeum serves as a showcase for the entire graphic collection. For the numerous works from the Dutch 17th century, a separate prints cabinet has also been set up on the 1st floor in the Dutch rooms.
Works on paper are extremely sensitive to light and therefore cannot be exhibited permanently. The three-monthly rotation of the collection presentations, which is therefore necessary for conservation reasons, is nevertheless proving to be a stroke of luck, as it allows us to protect the works entrusted to us and at the same time to present the wealth of our holdings to the public step by step. The collection is largely unpublished and is therefore a treasure waiting to be discovered: over 1,000 Italian, around 300 Dutch and just as many German Renaissance, Mannerist and Baroque drawings are joined by almost 3,000 Tyrolean Baroque drawings, around 4,000 19th century drawings and 5,000 20th and 21st century drawings. The print collection contains around 12,000 sheets.
Permanent exhibition OLD HISTORY OF ART
1st upper floor
With around 8000 works, the Older Art History Collections provide a diverse overview of 900 years of European art history - from the 11th century to around 1900. In addition to globally unique objects such as the Artuqid Bowl or masterpieces by Cranach, Rembrandt, Kauffmann or Segantini, the approx. 2000 paintings, approx. 1000 sculptures and more than 6000 handicraft and applied art objects cover all epochs of regional, national and international European art and culture.
The focus is on Tyrolean and international art of the Middle Ages, the top works from the time of Maximilian I and the 16th century in Austria and southern Germany, an exceptionally high-quality and extensive collection of Dutch painting from the Golden Age, outstanding examples of Italian and French art from the 14th to 18th centuries, important regional and national sculptures and paintings from the Baroque period, outstanding works of Classicism as well as pioneering representatives of Austrian and German history, portrait, genre and landscape painting from the 19th century. There is also an extremely extensive collection of arts and crafts, decorative arts and liturgical artefacts from all eras and in all materials.
Since the Ferdinandeum was founded in 1823, the older art history collections have been successively expanded. The foundation is a generous civic commitment, but the support of the nobility and ecclesiastical dignitaries, who expanded the collection through donations and gifts well into the 20th century, is also evident from the very beginning. Loans from the Province of Tyrol and other public and private institutions, legacies and, above all, the Museum Association's continuous acquisition activities still enhance the quality of the collection today.
Permanent exhibition MODERN Collections
2nd and 3rd upper floor
Currently not on display
Since 1965, the "Olympia Foundation" of the Province of Tyrol, the Provincial Capital of Innsbruck and the Tyrolean Chamber of Commerce has been organising the most important stylistic trends in Austrian art of the 20th century and contemporary art in the form of exemplary works by Birgit Birch, the artist and the artist's wife. Since 1965, the most important stylistic trends in 20th century and contemporary Austrian art have been presented in exemplary works by Birgit Jürgenssen, VALIE EXPORT, Maria Lassnig, Renate Bertlmann, Ashley Hans Scheirl, Jakob Lena Knebl, Dorit Margreiter, Oswald Oberhuber, Walter Pichler, Franz West, Peter Kogler, Heimo Zobernig, Heinz Gappmayr, Rudolf Stingl, Hans Schabus and Bruno Gironcoli.
Selected acquisitions have enabled the collection to be supplemented with important works of international contemporary art and to think ahead. Works by artists such as Maria Eichhorn, Elaine Sturtevant, Silke Wagner, Daniel Spoerri, Martin Kippenberger, Tobias Rehberger and Henrik Olesen are among the holdings of the Modern Collections.
PRESENTATION OF THE MUSIC COLLECTION
2nd upper floor
Currently not on display
With over 20,000 manuscripts and manuscript prints in the music collection and around 400 historical instruments, the music collection is a veritable treasure trove of regional music history and a very diverse collection of international importance.
On permanent display in the Ferdinandeum's exhibition collection are selected stringed and plucked instruments, as well as several historical pianos such as the internationally famous fortepiano by Conrad Graf (Vienna 1835). Among the stringed instruments, the instruments of the legendary Tyrolean violin maker Jakob Stainer (ca. 1620-1683) stand out as special treasures. The wind instruments mainly come from the collections of Tyrolean music bands and include some rarities, such as 19th century double-reed instruments with low voices.
