Daniel Neuberger and the Art of Deception

Wachs in seinen Händen
Design of the exhibition at Kunsthistorisches Museum

Daniel Neuberger and the Art of deception demonstrates the master's virtuosity in sculpting with wax and imitating a wide variety of materials and surfaces. His artworks, frequently measuring no more than a few centimetres, were highly sought-after all over Europe and still impress today with their eye-deceiving illusionism.

Between 1650 and 1663, Neuberger worked in Vienna and was active as wax sculptor and portraitist for Emperor Ferdinand III as well as his sons Ferdinand IV and Leopold I. This is where he created his main works, which are now at Kunsthistorisches Museum. Two of his most astonishing works – a sixty-part cycle depicting the Metamorphoses after Ovid and an allegorical depiction on the death of Emperor Ferdinand III – received a thorough restoration in the Kunsthistorisches Museum Kunstkammer in recent years and now form the core of this exhibition. These are complemented by a dozen waxworks from Neuberger’s Viennese creative period that are also on show.
hwww.khm.at/en/exhibitions/daniel-neuberger-and-the-art-of-deception

Curator Paulus Rainer
EXHIBITION ARCHITECTURE Margula Architects
TEAM Itai Margula, Anna Poell
LOCATION Kunsthistorisches Museum Wien
DURATION of the Exhibition 11. Februar bis 9. Juni 2025