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Sunday, June 10, 2012

MAK it Yourself

In my quest to get the most out of Vienna, a couple of weeks ago, Jake and I decided to brave the Museum für angewandete Kunst, or, the Museum of Applied Arts. It's free on Saturdays, 90% of its appeal. Not that I don't like furniture. It's a necessary part of life! I am not too keen on calling it art, though.

The Viennese seem to be perpetually atwitter about applied arts, however: just think of the hundreds of antiques stores that dot the city! And don't get me wrong, there were plenty of cool things in the museum.

Here are some pictures: 


Do-up of Rococo room

Persian rugs and imperial family:


Habsburgs
 

Porcelain figurines: 




Coffee pot:



Stained glass windows: 






Blown glass and cut glass dishware: 









Do-up of industrial kitchen:



Batik wallpaper: 

Furnace or samovar (What are these called?):





Ingenious recycling plan that uses dead people as pigeon feed and fertilizer (ultimately doing away with cemeteries and landfills, but keeping the distinctly loveable Wiener Schmäh):






Cake decorator, like used at Aida and other Viennese bakeries:


...and right behind the cake display is the dead-body-recycling display:

yum?
A "wool" coat made out of human hair: 


and shoes!!


Gustav Kilmt museum exhibit #3092 in Vienna -- his other mural sketches:





And finally, a view of the building:





 Like 85% of the public buildings in Vienna (including university buildings, public toilets, spas, museums, theaters, and pre-war carnival pavilions), the MAK is an extraordinarily beautiful building. I guess it goes to show, time and again, that Vienna is a city that was built for an emperor! No skimping on the marbled columns, hand-painted ceilings, or mosaic glass windows. After all, what emperor in his right mind would have a budget?

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