VIENNA.- Franz Xaver Messerschmidt (1736–1783) is presented as an artist at a cultural and political turning point in history. His portraits of members of the court and the aristocracy, scholars, scientists, and writers offer an insight into the social structures of his day. Furthermore, his now iconic “Character Heads,” which he started working on in 1770, are also interpreted as a phenomenon of their time. The exhibition compares Messerschmidt’s sculptures to the work of other artists with whom he has often been associated with the aim of critically questioning possible parallels and influences.

General Director Stella Rollig: No other artist from the Belvedere’s collection holds equal fascination for both the public and artists in the same way as Messerschmidt. Was he a genius or an outsider? Many identities have been attributed to him through history, some of which are pure fiction. This exhibition considers these various interpretations from today’s perspective and shows the full scope of his work in a way that has not been seen for a long time.

Franz Xaver Messerschmidt is one of the pivotal artists in the Belvedere’s collection. The museum holds the world’s largest selection of works by this sculptor and has showcased these in its permanent displays for over a century.

From around 1769 Messerschmidt’s portraits reflected a new image of humanity, permeated with the ideas of the Enlightenment, with emphasis moving away from Baroque pomp to place a greater focus on the individual. Moreover, the patrons and personalities he portrayed—such as Maria Theresia Felicitas von Savoy-Carignan, physicians Gerard van Swieten and Franz Anton Mesmer, and art writer Franz Christoph von Scheyb—shed light on the cultural, political, and intellectual world of the eighteenth century.

Although Messerschmidt’s “Character Heads” are now famous, they remain a puzzle to this day. The psychopathological interpretation—extremely popular since the twentieth century—is a narrow lens through which to view these objects and ignores the fact that the sculptor was responding to the profound social and intellectual changes of the eighteenth century in his work. The exhibition aims to situate Messerschmidt’s “Character Heads” in the context of that period’s preoccupation with facial expressions and to read them as a phenomenon of their time. Comparisons with works by artists such as Joseph Ducreux, William Hogarth, and Jakob Matthias Schmutzer confirm that the fascination with the face (and its aberrations) was by no means unique in this age.

Despite the fact that Messerschmidt’s intentions remain unclear, we can identify key intellectual trends from the eighteenth century in his “Character Heads”—even now they still inspire direct responses from viewers. Their frontality and expressive power are classic examples of the departure from academic Neoclassicism, said curator Katharina Lovecky.

Curator Georg Lechner added: Messerschmidt’s “Character Heads” have had an eventful exhibition history reflecting their varied reception—from amusing curiosity to important works of art history. After the Baroque Museum was opened in the Lower Belvedere, Messerschmidt’s sculptures became established museum pieces and were permanently incorporated into art-historical debate.

The exhibition is accompanied by a bilingual catalog in German and English, published by Verlag der Buchhandlung Walther und Franz König.