Vienna Secession

Name

Vienna Secession

Legal name

Vereinigung bildender Künstler*innen Wiener Secession

Website

https://secession.at

Company type

Private

Founded year

1897

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Contemporary Art Museum / Artist-Run Exhibition Hall

NAICS

Museums, Historical Sites, and Similar Institutions (712), Museums (712110), Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation (71)

SIC

Services-Miscellaneous Amusement & Recreation (7990)

akta.pro primary industry

Art Galleries & Exhibition Spaces (Commercial & Nonprofit) (THAJADAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Cultural Centers & Multidisciplinary Arts Institutions (THAJADAJ), Cultural Heritage Institutions (Archives, Historic Houses, Monuments Foundations) (THAJADAI)

Keywords

• Contemporary art exhibitions
• Artist-run exhibition hall
• Cultural heritage venue
• Museum publications programming
• Art education mediation

Headquarters

HQ city

Vienna

HQ country

Austria

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others, Technology or R&D

Pricing tiers

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

Vienna Secession operates a year-round program of 10-15 contemporary art exhibitions in its historic 1898 Art Nouveau building, including the permanent display of Gustav Klimt's Beethoven Frieze (1902). Beyond exhibitions, the institution runs an online digital archive, a publications program (books, catalogs, fanzines), two podcast series featuring artists and members, an online shop selling artist editions and merchandise, a Friends of Secession membership program, and Vermittlung educational and accessibility mediation programs (guided tours, workshops, tactile models, Easy Language).

Product overview

Vienna Secession is an artist-run contemporary art exhibition space founded in 1897, offering a unified program of 10-15 annual exhibitions, a permanent collection including the historic Beethovenfries by Gustav Klimt, digital archives, publications, podcasts, and educational programs. The venue operates a membership program ('Friends') and an online shop selling artist merchandise and exhibition catalogs. The institution is governed democratically by an artist board and does not operate as a technology platform but as a cultural venue.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Exhibition Program & Venue Visits Year-round program of 10-15 contemporary art exhibitions presented in the historic Secession building, curated democratically by the elected artist board on artistic merit and accessed by visitors through paid tickets or free programming such as Tuesday@Secession and 'Freie Kunst für Alle'. Includes viewing of the permanent Beethoven Frieze by Gustav Klimt (1902).
• Online Archive (Das Archiv der Secession) Digital archive providing free online access to historical records of past exhibitions, artists, and publications associated with the Vienna Secession since its founding in 1897.
• Publications (Publikationen) Published books and exhibition catalogs documenting Secession exhibitions and artists, including artist-specific publications such as the Dineo Seshee Bopape 'Secession' book (€15), B. Ingrid Olson's '323' (€26.40), Lieselott Beschorner catalog (€30), and FREI Fanzine (€42.50). Sold via the Secession shop and shipped internationally.
• Secession Podcast (Artists and Members series) Two podcast series featuring conversations about art and exhibitions: 'Secession Podcast Artists' with exhibiting artists and 'Secession Podcast Members' with association members. Distributed for free on Spotify, YouTube, and the Secession website; produced by Christian Lübbert and exclusively sponsored by Dorotheum.
• Friends of Secession Membership (Freunde der Secession) Membership program of the 'Freunde der Secession' support organization, providing members with access to curator talks, special events, and opportunities to support free contemporary art programming at the institution.
• Educational & Accessibility Programs (Vermittlung) Educational and accessibility mediation programs including guided tours, workshops, children's programs, multilingual audio tours, a tactile model for visually impaired visitors, and Easy Language (Leichte Sprache) materials. Targeted at general visitors, students, and educational groups.
• Museum Shop Products (Artist Editions & Merchandise) Online and on-site shop selling exhibition merchandise and artist-designed products, including books, prints, sweaters/apparel, drinking glass sets (e.g., Siggi Hofer glass sets and pullovers), and limited artist editions. International shipping via UPS or Post Priority.

Quantifiable outcome

• 125+ years of continuous operation as artist-run institution
• +1 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• DorotheumcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerExclusive sponsor of the Secession Podcast series. Dorotheum is the leading art auction house in Central Europe.
• NeurothminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSponsor of the 'Freie Kunst für Alle' (Free Art for All) initiative, supporting accessibility to contemporary art.
• Friends of Secession (Freunde der Secession)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSupport organization of the Secession that organizes events, provides funding, and connects the institution with supporters. Organizes curator talks and special events.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Schirn Kunsthalle Frankfurt: One of Germany's leading temporary exhibition halls dedicated to contemporary art. Comparable as a major European kunsthalle with a rotating exhibition program, large cultural-building venue, and similar mix of art-historical and contemporary programming.
• Kunsthalle Wien: Vienna's municipal contemporary art exhibition hall, hosting temporary exhibitions of international contemporary art. The most direct geographic and functional peer to the Vienna Secession, operating in the same city with a comparable exhibition-led model.
• MoMA PS1: New York's leading contemporary art exhibition space affiliated with MoMA, focused exclusively on the most experimental art of our time. Comparable as a non-collecting, exhibition-only contemporary art venue with international artist programming.
• mumok – Museum moderner Kunst Stiftung Ludwig Wien: Vienna's Museum of Modern Art, focused on contemporary and modern art since the 20th century onward. Directly comparable as a Vienna-based institution presenting contemporary and post-1900 art to overlapping audiences.
• Whitechapel Gallery: London's historic contemporary art gallery founded in 1901, presenting major international artists and commissioning new work. Comparable as a long-established, non-collecting exhibition venue focused on contemporary art with strong public programming.
• Serpentine Galleries: London's leading contemporary art gallery operating two exhibition spaces in Kensington Gardens. Comparable as an artist-and-curator-driven contemporary art institution with international programming, public engagement focus, and a strong brand identity.
• Palais de Tokyo: Paris's largest center for contemporary art, dedicated exclusively to exhibition-making and emerging artists. Comparable as a non-collecting, exhibition-driven contemporary art venue with multidisciplinary programming and cultural programming beyond traditional museum models.

Broad incumbents

• Museum Ludwig: Cologne's major contemporary and modern art museum, with particular strength in post-1945 art. Comparable as a major German contemporary art institution exhibiting international artists in a culturally significant venue.
• Hamburger Bahnhof – Nationalgalerie der Gegenwart: Berlin's national museum for contemporary art housed in a historic 19th-century railway station. Comparable as a heritage venue repurposed for contemporary art exhibition programming in a major German-speaking cultural capital.
• Kunsthaus Zürich: Larger Swiss art museum covering modern and contemporary art with substantial permanent collection (including the Bührle Collection). Comparable as a major DACH-region contemporary art venue with broader collection and institutional scale than the Secession.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@ViennaSecession
• Facebookfacebook.com/SecessionWien
• Instagraminstagram.com/viennasecession
• TikToktiktok.com/@viennasecession
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/viennasecession

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles17 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Vienna Secession