The State Gallery Linz is the specialised scientific institution of the province of Upper Austria for modern and contemporary art. It offers an internationally oriented exhibit program and provides each project with a scientific publication.

The emphasis of the program is on art of the 20th century and contemporary art with a reference to Upper Austria, (Upper) Austrian contemporary art in an international context, interdisciplinary projects and thematically connected series.

The photography collection of the State Gallery encompasses exemplary works of modern and contemporary art with reference to Upper Austria. It is continually updated. The most substantial part is made up of two collections, together a comprehensive record of the history of photography: the collections of the Salzburg photographer Hans Frank and of Erich Walter (a doctor from Steyr). Frank focussed on the history of photography and his objective was to create a comprehensive encyclopaedia on the subject. Walter, on the contrary, had an interest in photography as a primary pictorial medium of contemporary art.

Each region in Austria (Bundesland) has their own Landesmuseum, but the Landesgalerie in Linz is leading in their attention for documentary photography.

Curator: Martin Hochleitner