Difference between revisions of "National Gallery of Slovenia"

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{{Article
 
{{Article
| status      = PHOTO FEATURED COVER
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| status      = NEEDSUPDATE WRITING TOPROOFREAD NIFERTIK!
| maintainer  = Maja Škerbot
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| maintainer  = Simon Žlahtič
 
}}
 
}}
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{{Infobox
 
{{Infobox
 
| name                = National Gallery of Slovenia
 
| name                = National Gallery of Slovenia
 
| localname          = Narodna galerija
 
| localname          = Narodna galerija
| logo               = National Gallery of Slovenia (logo).svg
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| logo               = National Gallery of Slovenia (logo).svg
 
| town                = SI-1000 Ljubljana
 
| town                = SI-1000 Ljubljana
 
| street              = Puharjeva 9
 
| street              = Puharjeva 9
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| fax                = 386 (0) 1 241 5403
 
| fax                = 386 (0) 1 241 5403
 
| email              = info@ng-slo.si
 
| email              = info@ng-slo.si
| website            = http://www.ng-slo.si/
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| website            = https://www.ng-slo.si
 
| map                = http://www.openstreetmap.org/?lon=14.50031&lat=46.05392&zoom=17&layer=mapnik
 
| map                = http://www.openstreetmap.org/?lon=14.50031&lat=46.05392&zoom=17&layer=mapnik
 
| founded by          = Government of the Republic of Slovenia
 
| founded by          = Government of the Republic of Slovenia
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| role                = Director
 
| role                = Director
 
| email              =  
 
| email              =  
}}
 
{{Contact
 
| name                = Bojan Kuhar
 
| role                = Director assistant
 
| email              = bojan_kuhar@ng-slo.si
 
}}
 
{{Contact
 
| name                = Živa Rogelj
 
| role                = Public relations
 
| email              = ziva_rogelj@ng-slo.si
 
| telephone          = 386 (0) 241 5405
 
 
}}
 
}}
 
| accounts            =
 
| accounts            =
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https://twitter.com/narodnagalerija
 
https://www.facebook.com/ngslo
 
https://www.facebook.com/ngslo
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https://www.youtube.com/user/ngslo
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https://www.instagram.com/narodnagalerija/
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}}
 
}}
  
 
{{Teaser|
 
{{Teaser|
  
{{Image|National Gallery of Slovenia - 2006 - 02.jpg}}
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{{Wide Image|National Gallery of Slovenia 2015 facade detail.jpg}}
  
The [[National Gallery of Slovenia]] (Narodna galerija) is the main art museum in Slovenia and contains the country's largest fine art collection from the late medieval period up to the twentieth century. The National Gallery of Slovenia's Permanent Collection presents a chronological overview of Slovenian and European art. The Gallery regularly prepares temporary thematic and monographic exhibitions and events on Slovenian and European art.
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The [[National Gallery of Slovenia]] (Narodna galerija) is the main art museum in Slovenia that holds the country's largest fine art collection from the late medieval period up to the early twentieth century. It was founded as early as [[Established::1918]] as the National Gallery Society with the aim of establishing a museum for Slovenian fine arts. First housed in the Kresija Palace, the Gallery relocated to the Narodni dom palace in 1926.
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A completely reorganised and expanded permanent exhibition of the collections returned to public view in January 2016, following an extensive renovation of the Narodni dom palace.
 
}}
 
}}
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{{YouTube|okiXxbJKGr8}}
  
  
 
==History==
 
==History==
  
The National Gallery of Slovenia was founded in [[Established::1918]] as the National Gallery Society with the aim of establishing a museum for Slovenian fine arts. In a relatively short time it succeeded in bringing together works from both public and private collections, including works by Slovene artists purchased by the City of Ljubljana and works belonging to the Society for Christian Art; it also began to systematically purchase other works of art.
 
  
The National Gallery was originally housed in the Kresija Palace, where the first Permanent Exhibition was opened to the public in 1920. The Gallery relocated to the Narodni dom Palace in 1926, where it remains to this day. An important acquisition was 90 paintings from the Strahl Collection. In the early 1930s the gallery was also allocated casts of classical sculptures and works belonging to the [[National Museum of Slovenia]]. During the German occupation, the Gallery collections were relocated to the basements of the National Museum and the National and University Library. After the war, on 1 July 1946, the National Gallery of Slovenia became a state institution. After the [[Museum of Modern Art]] opened in 1947, many of the National Gallery's 20th-century art works were transferred to the new museum.
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{{Wide Image|National_Gallery_of_Slovenia_1910_postcard.jpg}}
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The National Gallery of Slovenia was founded in 1918 as the National Gallery Society with the aim of establishing a museum for Slovenian fine arts. The National Gallery was originally housed in the Kresija Palace, where the first Permanent Exhibition was opened to the public in 1920. The Gallery relocated to the Narodni dom Palace in 1926, where it remains to this day. During the German occupation, the Gallery collections were relocated to the basements of the National Museum and the National and University Library. After the war, on 1 July 1946, the National Gallery of Slovenia became a state institution.
 +
 
 +
In the 1980s, the Gallery embarked on an expansion and renovation project that lasted for four decades. In 1988, the Gallery acquired the premises of the neighbouring Club of Delegates and in 1993 completed the New Wing in its lot. In 2001, the glass Entrance Hall, which connects the Narodni dom Palace and the New Wing, was completed. The Robba Fountain was placed inside the Entrance Hall in 2008. In 2009 the Gallery began the renovation of the Narodni dom Palace, which reopens in January 2016.
  
In the 1980s, the Gallery embarked on an expansion and renovation project that lasted for four decades. In 1988, the Gallery acquired the premises of the neighbouring Club of Delegates and in 1993 completed the New Wing in its lot. In 2001, the glass Entrance Hall, which connects the Narodni dom Palace and the New Wing, was completed. The Robba Fountain was placed inside the Entrance Hall in 2008. In 2009 the Gallery began the final phase of the expansion and renovation project, the renovation of the Narodni dom Palace, which was reopened on 27 January 2016.
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{{Wide Image|National Gallery of Slovenia - 2009 - 11.jpg}}
  
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Next to permanent exhibition premises, there is an exhibition area for temporary exhibitions, educational activities and the [[National Gallery of Slovenia Library]].
  
 
==Collections==
 
==Collections==
From its inception the National Gallery has systematically and continuously collected Slovene art in order to provide a comprehensive survey of artistic development in Slovenia. It also collects some works by artists from other European nations, presenting them in different arrangements. However, the gallery had to wait for larger premises – achieved by the construction of a new wing in the early 1990s – before it could present a permanent collection of European Old Masters. This collection is now displayed in the upper rooms of the new wing while on the ground floor there is an exhibition area for temporary exhibitions, educational activities and the [[National Gallery of Slovenia Library]].
 
 
===Art in Slovenia===
 
  
The Slovene art collection represents the core of the activity of the National Gallery of Slovenia. The medieval collection consists mainly of Gothic sculpture from the late Romanesque to the early Renaissance periods, plus some original fragments of Gothic frescoes.  
+
After its foundation in 1918, the Gallery succeeded in a relatively short time in bringing together works from both public and private collections, including works by Slovenian artists purchased by the City of Ljubljana and works belonging to the Society for Christian Art; it also began to systematically purchase other works of art. An important acquisition was 90 paintings from the Strahl Collection. In 1927 the Gallery ordered casts of classical sculptures from the Louvre and in 1934 augmented its collection with fine art works belonging to the [[National Museum of Slovenia]]. After the [[Museum of Modern Art]] opened in 1947, many of the National Gallery's 20th-century works were transferred to the new museum. Throughout the Gallery’s history, numerous works of art were donated and bequeathed to the institution by artists themselves or their relatives, collectors, companies and individuals.
  
 +
Today the Gallery's collection comprises 3,500 paintings, 1,000 pieces of sculpture, over 8,000 works on paper, and around 20,000 documents, thus taking care for the works of art by more than 1,000 artists. A selection of artworks is also accessible online.
  
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The Permanent Collection of the National Gallery of Slovenia could be subdivided into Art in Slovenia, European Painters, Government Art Collection, Collection of Zoran A. Mušič (1909–2005), and a Special Collection.
  
The survey continues with 16th- and 17th-century art, in which Baroque paintings are particularly well-represented. Representative works by masters such as [[Anton Cebej]], [[Valentin Metzinger]], [[Franc Jelovšek]], and [[Fortunat Bergant]] are presented in the main hall. The survey of the Baroque period is complemented by some selected sculptures, most of them made by artists from Štajerska. The Classicism section is best represented by the monumental paintings of [[Franc Kavčič]]. The Biedermeier and Romantic period section includes portraits by [[Jožef Tominc]] and [[Mihael Stroj]] and landscapes by [[Marko Pernhart]] and [[Anton Karinger]]. The survey of Realism focuses on the work of the Šubic brothers, [[Janez Šubic|Janez]] and [[Jurij Šubic|Jurij]], on the important educator [[Anton Ažbe]], and on [[Jožef Petkovšek]]. The presentation of the period is enhanced by popular paintings created by [[Ivana Kobilca]]. It is followed by the generation which introduced Modernist creative trends to Slovene painting. Four painters ([[Rihard Jakopič]], [[Ivan Grohar]], [[Matija Jama]], and [[Matej Sternen]]), traditionally conceived as the Slovene Impressionists, combined different contemporary art trends, from Impressionism to Divisionism, to create the foundations for the development of modern art in Slovenia. The survey concludes with a generation of sculptors who are an important counterpart to the painters of the modernist period. Works by [[Alojz Gangl]], [[Ivan Zajec]] and [[France Berneker]] are especially prominent.
+
A Collection of [[Zoran A. Mušič]] (1909–2005), a Slovene Modernist painter who established himself in the international art world (Venice and Paris), comprises 57 artworks that were donated to the gallery in 2014 by the artist’s niece, with further 40 works on loan. The Government Art Collection comprises over 1300 works of art that were acquired directly by the government, mostly after the Second World War, and kept in ministry and government buildings. The Gallery became the custodian of the collection in 1986. A Special Collection consists of a collection of posters, calendars and documents from the personal archives of Slovene artists who worked in the late 19th and in the first half of the 20th century.
  
  
===European Paintings===
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{{Wide Image|National Gallery of Slovenia 2016 grand hall.jpg}}
Opened in 1997, the permanent collection of over 150 European paintings dating from the late-14th to the 20th century is the fruit of research work carried out by [[Ksenija Rozman]] in cooperation with renowned Italian expert Professor Federico Zeri. The collection is divided into individual schools: Italian (the largest group), Spanish, French, Flemish and Dutch, German and Central European schools, and painters of the 19th and 20th centuries. Among the late Gothic works, the triptych (1511) of the Knillenberg family by Marx Reichlich is of particular note, as are the paintings of Luca Giordano among the Italian Baroque works, and the works of French portraitist Élisabeth Vigée-Lebrun among the portrait collection. Prominent among the German painters are Paul Troger and Martin Johann Schmidt (Kremser-Schmidt), while the modern paintings include a remarkable still-life by Alexej von Jawlensky and a landscape by Giorgio Morandi.
 
  
==Exhibition programme==
 
The museum's programme counts approximately 4 major and 15 small-scale exhibitions per year. The majority of them are prepared by the house curators, some are acquired by exchange with international institutions or prepared by other Slovene organisations (e.g. [[Biennial of Slovene Visual Communications]]).
 
  
===''Slovene Impressionists and their Time 1890–1920''===
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== Permanent exhibition set anew==
  
{{Image|National Gallery of Slovenia - 2008 - 09.jpg}}
+
As the premises were expanded, in January 2016 a permanent exhibition was reinstalled: it features a new selection of works from all the collections arranged chronologically, covering the period between the 13th and the early 20th century.  
  
From April 2008 to February 2009 the museum featured ''Slovene Impressionists and their Time 1890–1920'', which attracted 112,000 visitors, a record attendance for an exhibition of this kind in Slovenia. The exhibition was prepared by house curators on the occasion of the Slovenian Presidency of the European Union and the 90th anniversary of the National Gallery of Slovenia. The exhibition tried to contextualise the historical environment of the late 19th and early 20th century with works of four Slovene master Impressionists – [[Rihard Jakopič]] (70 works), [[Ivan Grohar]], [[Matija Jama]] (exhibited 26 paintings from each) and [[Matej Sternen]] (more than 26 works) – and many famous fellow Impressionist artists, such as [[Anton Ažbe]], [[Ivana Kobilca]], [[Ferdo Vesel]], [[Ivan Vavpotič]] and more. Additionally the show foreshadowed the sculptural, photographic, and architectural achievements of the time, when the 1895 Ljubljana earthquake spawned a "revival" in the city as over 400 new Art Nouveau, particularly Secessionist, buildings and significant monuments sprang up in the re-construction period from 1986–1910.
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==Temporary exhibitions programme==
  
A logical continuation was the exhibition ''Polish Painting circa 1900, Impressionism and Symbolism'' prepared in cooperation with the Polish National Museum in late spring 2009.
+
The museum's programme counts approximately 4 major and 15 small-scale exhibitions per year. The majority of them are prepared by the house curators, some are acquired by exchange with international institutions or prepared by other Slovene organisations (e.g. [[Biennial of Slovene Visual Communications]]).
  
The exhibition ''Slovene Impressionists and their Time 1890–1920'' is shown at the Petit Palais in Paris from April through July 2013.
 
  
{{Image|Petit Palais 2013 Slovene Impressionism and their Time 1890–1920 exhibition 03.jpg}}
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== International Cooperation ==
  
===''Iconotheca Valvasoriana''===
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On 17 April 2013 the exhibition ''Slovenian Impressionists and their time (1890–1920)'', curated by Sylvain Lecombre and [[Barbara Jaki]], opened at the Petit Palais Museum in Paris. To date, it was the largest exhibition of Slovenian art in Western Europe.
At the very end of 2009 a facsimile edition of the ''Iconotheca Valvasoriana'' was published by the [[Janez Vajkard Valvasor Foundation]] at the Slovene Academy of Sciences and Arts (SAZU) in 17 volumes. They have been donated to the National Gallery by the [[Ministry of Culture]] of the Republic of Slovenia. Prints, drawings and watercolours of various formats, which [[Janez Vajkard Valvasor|Valvasor]] bought on his travels across Europe between 1659 and 1672, and had bound into eighteen books (today one lost), were arranged by the author according to technique, the artist's ethnic origin and themes: depictions of the Old and New Testament, images of saints, antique motifs and diverse secular genre scenes, portraits, coats-of-arms, vedute, maps, as well as the animal and plant kingdom. Among them are works by Albrecht Dürer, Lucas Cranach, Martin Schongauer, Jacques Callot, as well as other European masters of the 16th and 17th century. The facsimile edition of the ''Iconotheca Valvasoriana'' is an important acquisition of the library fund of the National Gallery of Slovenia.
 
  
===The Robba Fountain===
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The Gallery works together with many European art museums and institutions, including Uffizi Gallery, Italy; National Sculpture Museum of Spain, Spain;  National Museum in Warsaw, Poland; University of Galway, Ireland; Regional Council of Lower Normandy, France; Finnish National Gallery, Finland; and Gallery of Matica srpska, Serbia.
[[Francesco Robba]] (1698–1757), whose oeuvre connected Ljubljana with contemporary Venetian art, created the fountain between 1743 and 1751, and modelled it on the famous Roman fountains. The sculptures of the three river gods decorating it most probably represent three rivers in the then province of Carniola, namely the Sava, the Ljubljanica and the Krka. The original fountain was removed from Ljubljana's Mestni trg Square and replaced by a copy. The original, refurbished and restored, now resides in the Entrance Hall of the National Gallery of Slovenia.
 
  
{{Image|National Gallery of Slovenia - 2008 - 08.jpg}}
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{{Wide Image|Petit Palais 2013 Slovene Impressionism and their Time 1890–1920 exhibition 09.jpg}}
  
===Modern art exhibitions===
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==The Robba Fountain==
The National Gallery also prepares monographic exhibitions of Slovene and international authors, for example the 2008 exhibition ''What I Have Seen 1968–2008'' by a personality central to Slovene graphic design and illustration, [[Kostja Gatnik]].
 
  
In summer 2009 together with the [[TR3 Gallery]], the National Gallery featured an exhibition of 117 photographs by American artist Robert Mapplethorpe, one of the most important conceptual photographers of his generation.
+
[[Francesco Robba]] (1698–1757), whose oeuvre connected Ljubljana with contemporary Venetian art, created the fountain between 1743 and 1751, and modelled it on the famous Roman fountains. The sculptures of the three river gods decorating it most probably represent three rivers in the then province of Carniola, namely the Sava, the Ljubljanica and the Krka. The original fountain was removed from Ljubljana's Mestni trg Square and replaced by a copy. The original, refurbished and restored, now resides in the Entrance Hall of the National Gallery of Slovenia.
  
==International cooperation==
+
{{Wide Image|National Gallery of Slovenia - 2008 - 08.jpg}}
With partners like the [[Urban Planning Institute of the Republic of Slovenia]] and the [[Municipality of Ljubljana]], the National Gallery of Slovenia has participated in the activities of the international Réseau Art Nouveau Network, which has received funding from the EU programme Culture 2000. Concurrently with the exhibition ''Slovene Impressionists and their Time 1890–1920'', the National Gallery presented the multimedia presentation ''Art Nouveau & Society'' – a short and concise presentation of the social and economic situation in Europe at the turn of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th century, which created favourable conditions for the development of the pan European movement for the modernisation of art: Art Nouveau.
 
  
During the Slovenia's Presidency of the Council of the European Union in 2008, the National Gallery of Slovenia prepared a representative exhibition of the architect [[Jože Plečnik]] (1872–1957) in the Musées royaux de Beaux-Arts de Belgique in Brussels.
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==Music programme ==
  
==Music programme ==
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Since 2001 the National Gallery hosts each year a cycle of concerts by the [[Slovene Philharmonic String Chamber Orchestra]], entitled ''Harmony of the Spheres'' [Sozvočja svetov]. The events combine lectures on fine arts with concerts of chamber music, which include pieces from the classical repertoire and original compositions.
  
Since 2001 the National Gallery hosts each year a cycle of concerts by the [[Slovene Philharmonic String Chamber Orchestra]], entitled ''Harmony of the Spheres'' [Sozvočja svetov]. The events combine lectures on fine arts with concerts of chamber music.
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== Education Department==
  
== Educational and publishing programme ==
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The Education Department of the Gallery was founded in 1961 and is among the oldest in the country. Children’s programming encourages art exploration through the adventures of Gal the Dwarf, the mascot of the Gallery since 1981, setting up the Motivational Gallery exploration space, called Gal’s Room, in the gallery. Education Department each year organizes around 200 public events and welcomes more than 20,000 young visitors.
The gallery is appreciated for its educational activities which employ different methods to reach target groups from pre-school children to high school students to adults. The [[National Gallery of Slovenia Library]] gives visitors access to the latest periodicals and published books on Slovene art and the art of the east Alpine region.  
 
  
 
==Artworks loan, venue hire==
 
==Artworks loan, venue hire==
The National Gallery also loans its artworks and photo material for exhibitions and publications following international standards. It is also possible to hire the gallery spaces for events.
 
  
 +
The National Gallery also loans its artworks and photo material for exhibitions and publications, according to international standards. It is also possible to hire the gallery spaces for events.
  
 
== See also ==
 
== See also ==
 
* [[National Gallery of Slovenia Library]]  
 
* [[National Gallery of Slovenia Library]]  
 
* [[Museum of Modern Art]]
 
* [[Museum of Modern Art]]
* [[Biennial of Slovene Visual Communications]]
 
 
* [[:Category:Slovene Impressionists and their Time|Slovene Impressionists and their Time]]
 
* [[:Category:Slovene Impressionists and their Time|Slovene Impressionists and their Time]]
  
 
==External links==
 
==External links==
* [http://www.ng-slo.si/en/ National Gallery of Slovenia website] (in English)
+
* [https://www.ng-slo.si/en/ National Gallery of Slovenia website]
 +
* [http://www.ng-slo.si/en/permanent-collection National Gallery of Slovenia Permanent Collection overview]
 +
* [http://www.ng-slo.si/en/about-the-national-gallery-of-slovenia National Gallery history]
 
* [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Gallery_of_Slovenia National Gallery of Slovenia on Wikipedia]
 
* [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Gallery_of_Slovenia National Gallery of Slovenia on Wikipedia]
 
* [http://www.artnouveau-net.eu/ Réseau Art Nouveau Network website]
 
* [http://www.artnouveau-net.eu/ Réseau Art Nouveau Network website]
 
Projects
 
Projects
* [http://www.ccp.si/english/izpis.php?id=385 ''Art Nouveau & Society'' project description] on [[Cultural Contact Point Slovenia]] database
 
 
* [https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/slovene-impressionists-their/id548242521?mt=11 ''Slovene Impressionists and their time'' catalogue, free for iOS devices] (in English)   
 
* [https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/slovene-impressionists-their/id548242521?mt=11 ''Slovene Impressionists and their time'' catalogue, free for iOS devices] (in English)   
 
* [https://www.academia.edu/6562306/Ivana_Kobilca_and_Her_Painting_for_the_Ljubljana_Town_Hall_Slovenia_Bows_to_Ljubljana_in_the_Context_of_Womens_Painting_in_the_Late_Nineteenth_Century Article on Academia.edu by Beti Žerovc about Ivana Kobilca]
 
* [https://www.academia.edu/6562306/Ivana_Kobilca_and_Her_Painting_for_the_Ljubljana_Town_Hall_Slovenia_Bows_to_Ljubljana_in_the_Context_of_Womens_Painting_in_the_Late_Nineteenth_Century Article on Academia.edu by Beti Žerovc about Ivana Kobilca]
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[[Category:National museums]]
 
[[Category:National museums]]
 
[[Category:Venues]]
 
[[Category:Venues]]
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[[Category: National cultural institutions]]
  
 
[[Category:Slovene Impressionists and their Time]]
 
[[Category:Slovene Impressionists and their Time]]
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[[Category:Education_and_Research]]

Latest revision as of 02:45, 19 February 2021




Contact
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Narodna galerija
Puharjeva 9, SI-1000 Ljubljana
Phone386 (0) 1 241 5418 (Gallery), 386 (0) 1 241 5400 (Management)
Barbara Jaki, Director
Past Events
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National Gallery of Slovenia 2015 facade detail Photo Janko Dermastja.jpgA detail of the facade of the historical building Narodni dom in Ljubljana, built at the end of 19th Century. Today the National Gallery of Slovenia.

The National Gallery of Slovenia (Narodna galerija) is the main art museum in Slovenia that holds the country's largest fine art collection from the late medieval period up to the early twentieth century. It was founded as early as 1918 as the National Gallery Society with the aim of establishing a museum for Slovenian fine arts. First housed in the Kresija Palace, the Gallery relocated to the Narodni dom palace in 1926.

A completely reorganised and expanded permanent exhibition of the collections returned to public view in January 2016, following an extensive renovation of the Narodni dom palace.



History

National Gallery of Slovenia 1910 postcard.jpgNarodni dom (National House) building by František Škabrout, built in Ljubljana 1894–1896. In 1927 the National Gallery of Slovenia rented some rooms in the building that housed also sport and leisure activities. Postcard, 1910.

The National Gallery of Slovenia was founded in 1918 as the National Gallery Society with the aim of establishing a museum for Slovenian fine arts. The National Gallery was originally housed in the Kresija Palace, where the first Permanent Exhibition was opened to the public in 1920. The Gallery relocated to the Narodni dom Palace in 1926, where it remains to this day. During the German occupation, the Gallery collections were relocated to the basements of the National Museum and the National and University Library. After the war, on 1 July 1946, the National Gallery of Slovenia became a state institution.

In the 1980s, the Gallery embarked on an expansion and renovation project that lasted for four decades. In 1988, the Gallery acquired the premises of the neighbouring Club of Delegates and in 1993 completed the New Wing in its lot. In 2001, the glass Entrance Hall, which connects the Narodni dom Palace and the New Wing, was completed. The Robba Fountain was placed inside the Entrance Hall in 2008. In 2009 the Gallery began the renovation of the Narodni dom Palace, which reopens in January 2016.

National Gallery of Slovenia 2009 Entrance hall Photo Janko Dermastja.jpgNational Gallery of Slovenia, view of the northern wing by Edvard Ravnikar and the entrance hall by SADAR + VUGA Architects, 2009.

Next to permanent exhibition premises, there is an exhibition area for temporary exhibitions, educational activities and the National Gallery of Slovenia Library.

Collections

After its foundation in 1918, the Gallery succeeded in a relatively short time in bringing together works from both public and private collections, including works by Slovenian artists purchased by the City of Ljubljana and works belonging to the Society for Christian Art; it also began to systematically purchase other works of art. An important acquisition was 90 paintings from the Strahl Collection. In 1927 the Gallery ordered casts of classical sculptures from the Louvre and in 1934 augmented its collection with fine art works belonging to the National Museum of Slovenia. After the Museum of Modern Art opened in 1947, many of the National Gallery's 20th-century works were transferred to the new museum. Throughout the Gallery’s history, numerous works of art were donated and bequeathed to the institution by artists themselves or their relatives, collectors, companies and individuals.

Today the Gallery's collection comprises 3,500 paintings, 1,000 pieces of sculpture, over 8,000 works on paper, and around 20,000 documents, thus taking care for the works of art by more than 1,000 artists. A selection of artworks is also accessible online.

The Permanent Collection of the National Gallery of Slovenia could be subdivided into Art in Slovenia, European Painters, Government Art Collection, Collection of Zoran A. Mušič (1909–2005), and a Special Collection.

A Collection of Zoran A. Mušič (1909–2005), a Slovene Modernist painter who established himself in the international art world (Venice and Paris), comprises 57 artworks that were donated to the gallery in 2014 by the artist’s niece, with further 40 works on loan. The Government Art Collection comprises over 1300 works of art that were acquired directly by the government, mostly after the Second World War, and kept in ministry and government buildings. The Gallery became the custodian of the collection in 1986. A Special Collection consists of a collection of posters, calendars and documents from the personal archives of Slovene artists who worked in the late 19th and in the first half of the 20th century.


National Gallery of Slovenia 2016 grand hall Photo Janko Dermastja.jpgThe 2016 set up of the permanent collection of the National Gallery of Slovenia in the grand hall.


Permanent exhibition set anew

As the premises were expanded, in January 2016 a permanent exhibition was reinstalled: it features a new selection of works from all the collections arranged chronologically, covering the period between the 13th and the early 20th century.

Temporary exhibitions programme

The museum's programme counts approximately 4 major and 15 small-scale exhibitions per year. The majority of them are prepared by the house curators, some are acquired by exchange with international institutions or prepared by other Slovene organisations (e.g. Biennial of Slovene Visual Communications).


International Cooperation

On 17 April 2013 the exhibition Slovenian Impressionists and their time (1890–1920), curated by Sylvain Lecombre and Barbara Jaki, opened at the Petit Palais Museum in Paris. To date, it was the largest exhibition of Slovenian art in Western Europe.

The Gallery works together with many European art museums and institutions, including Uffizi Gallery, Italy; National Sculpture Museum of Spain, Spain; National Museum in Warsaw, Poland; University of Galway, Ireland; Regional Council of Lower Normandy, France; Finnish National Gallery, Finland; and Gallery of Matica srpska, Serbia.

Petit Palais 2013 Slovene Impressionism and their Time 1890–1920 exhibition 09.jpgSlovene Impressionism and their Time 1890–1920 exhibition at Petit Palais, Paris , 2013

The Robba Fountain

Francesco Robba (1698–1757), whose oeuvre connected Ljubljana with contemporary Venetian art, created the fountain between 1743 and 1751, and modelled it on the famous Roman fountains. The sculptures of the three river gods decorating it most probably represent three rivers in the then province of Carniola, namely the Sava, the Ljubljanica and the Krka. The original fountain was removed from Ljubljana's Mestni trg Square and replaced by a copy. The original, refurbished and restored, now resides in the Entrance Hall of the National Gallery of Slovenia.

National Gallery of Slovenia 2008 Restored Robba Fountain Photo Janko Dermastja.jpgThe restored Robba Fountain by Baroque sculptor Francesco Robba was installed in the National Gallery of Slovenia entrance hall in 2006.

Music programme

Since 2001 the National Gallery hosts each year a cycle of concerts by the Slovene Philharmonic String Chamber Orchestra, entitled Harmony of the Spheres [Sozvočja svetov]. The events combine lectures on fine arts with concerts of chamber music, which include pieces from the classical repertoire and original compositions.

Education Department

The Education Department of the Gallery was founded in 1961 and is among the oldest in the country. Children’s programming encourages art exploration through the adventures of Gal the Dwarf, the mascot of the Gallery since 1981, setting up the Motivational Gallery exploration space, called Gal’s Room, in the gallery. Education Department each year organizes around 200 public events and welcomes more than 20,000 young visitors.

Artworks loan, venue hire

The National Gallery also loans its artworks and photo material for exhibitions and publications, according to international standards. It is also possible to hire the gallery spaces for events.

See also

External links

Projects

Gallery