MQ x Paul Albert Leitner
People of MQ
Photographer Paul Albert Leitner, known for his staged self-portraits in a custom-made “travel suit,” photographed the site and its visitors for the MQ 2025 campaign. With his characteristically observant eye, he captured people strolling through the area as well as the unique interplay of Baroque and modern architecture in the MuseumsQuartier.
For his work, Paul Albert Leitner relies on a tried-and-true tool: a Canon AE-1, his SLR camera from the 1980s. His gaze is directed toward the seemingly ordinary: windows, facades, trees, or shrubs. He brings things that are often overlooked into the spotlight. His photography thrives on close observation, a deliberate pace, and a keen sense of detail, light, and shadow.
The Austrian photographer was recently awarded the 2026 Austrian State Prize for Artistic Photography. The award recognizes his outstanding life’s work and is considered one of the most prestigious honors for artistic photography in Austria. The MuseumsQuartier extends its warmest congratulations to Paul Albert Leitner on this magnificent award!
“I draw on an archive of 80,000 negatives—a collection of a hundred doors, a hundred facades, and countless types of lettering. I’m inspired by literary influences as well as the history of photography. In the end, all of this may even blend with elements of Pop Art and music. Strolling is essential for me, because observation requires slowness—looking closely, the interplay of light and shadow. Everything emerges intuitively. Art cannot be learned.”
Paul Albert Leitner (born in 1957 in Jenbach, Tyrol) is an Austrian photographer and artist who has lived and worked as a freelance artist in Vienna since 1986. His photographic practice is characterized by an intense exploration of travel, self-representation, and the connection between art and life.