Psyche and Provocation

Experiencing Works of Austrian Expressionism in the Belvedere Collection

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.29311/mas.v24i1.4946

Abstract

The article argues that Austrian Expressionism, exemplified by the works in the Psyche and Provocation exhibition room at the Österreichische Galerie Belvedere (The Austrian Gallery) in Vienna, provides a compelling case for studying art experience due to its emotional intensity and radical aesthetics. By integrating Walter Benjamin’s concept of aura with Eric Kandel’s insights from brain and cognitive sciences, the study explores how the experience of these artworks is shaped by their materiality, spatial context, and the viewer’s potential psychological engagement. This analysis contributes to debates on authenticity, the role of museums and the evolving nature of visitor experience in the (post-)digital age. Further, it highlights the continued relevance of Benjamin’s aura concept while integrating contemporary cognitive perspectives on art perception.

Author Biographies

Hanna Brinkmann, Universität für Weiterbildung Krems

Hanna Brinkmann is a senior researcher at the Center for Cultures and Technologies of Collecting at the University for Continuing Education Krems and works in the field of art history, museum studies, and empirical aesthetics. In 2017 she successfully completed her dissertation on cultural diversity in art perception. Subsequently she was a postdoc researcher at the Laboratory for Cognitive Research in Art History at the University of Vienna and responsible for the project “Wild Colors, gentle Lines? Engaging with color and line in an interactive children's environment”. In Krems she is currently part of the projects “Industriekultur im Dialog” and “Gesundes Museum” and since March 2024 she runs the FWF project (P 37260-G) “Art Experience in the (Post-) Digital Age. Original-Digital-Virtual”.

Johanna Aufreiter, Research Center of Österreichische Galerie Belvedere in Vienna (Austrian Gallery)

Dr. Johanna Aufreiter is a research associate and scientific project coordinator at the Research Center of Österreichische Galerie Belvedere in Vienna (Austrian Gallery). She is member of the conference committee of the annual conference The Art Museum in the digital Age and co-editor of the Belvedere Research Journal. Johanna Aufreiter studied Art History and German Philology. From 2006-2008 she worked as lecturer, and from 2009-2013 as a scientific assistant at the at the University Graz. In 2013 Johanna Aufreiter transferred to the University of Vienna, where she worked until 2017 as a scientific assistant and Head of the Lab for Cognitive Research in Art History (CReA). In October 2017 she completed her doctorate (Dr. phil.) in Art History at the University of Graz on optical theories in the Middle Ages. The focus of her research is on medieval art, optical theories, visual culture and museology, empirical reception research and digital art history. In addition to her teaching and publishing activities, she has been a lecturer at exhibition openings since 2006. She has been a board member of DArtHist Austria – Network for Digital Art History in Austria since 2022.

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Published

22.05.2026

How to Cite

Brinkmann, H., & Aufreiter, J. (2026). Psyche and Provocation: Experiencing Works of Austrian Expressionism in the Belvedere Collection. Museum & Society, 24(1), 81–94. https://doi.org/10.29311/mas.v24i1.4946

Issue

Vol. 24 No. 1 (2026): Museum & Society: Open Issue

Section

Articles

License

Copyright (c) 2026 Hanna Brinkmann, Johanna Aufreiter

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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Copyright remains with the author(s) of the article. This article can be re-used according to the terms of the CC BY-NC-ND 4.0  licence.