Sometimes I wander through museums, only to realize I've read a roomful of information placards with barely a passing glance to the object on display. I was fighting this impulse in the Kunsthistorisches (KHM) picture gallery the other night, but curiosity on the subject matter kept drawing me in. KHM placards, in addition to being informative, can be very amusing.
In case you are wondering what the result is, this portrait is easily googleable.
I bought myself an annual card to the KHM, since it's a screaming deal when compared to a single entry ticket, and gets me access to several other branch museums in both Vienna and Innsbruck. It's open until 9pm on Thursdays, and since most of the tourist groups clogging the inner stadt have either succumbed to fatigue, or are foraging for schnitzel and sachertorte by evening, it was blissfully almost deserted. I think I know what my Thursday schedule will be for the remaining time in Vienna. I did notice that not all exhibits have bilingual placards, which is a bit of a relief, as it frees me of any obligation to try and learn something. Although the Neue Burg does have a small exhibit demonstrating how all the beautiful armour etching is done, so I'm going to have to go back armed with a dictionary.
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