To
commemorate 100 years of the National Gallery of Slovenia, the exhibition in
the lobby of the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Slovenia shows the daily
life of the institution, as seen from the outside and the happenings out of
public sight.
The
National Gallery of Slovenia is the main national institution of fine arts in the
country and protects the largest art collection in Slovenian territory that
ranges from the High Middle Ages to the 20th century. From its beginnings onwards,
the Permanent Collection has undergone several transformations; the current set-up
was presented at the inauguration of the renovated National Hall Palace in
January 2016. The exhibition is the largest ever and extends to all three
buildings of the Gallery complex. The Collection was established with purchases
and with significant donations, with last major gift being a collection of works
by Zoran Mušič by his family.
The Gallery
halls also invite with temporary exhibitions. Among the most important ones in
recent years was the exhibition of Slovenian Impressionism, which was mounted
in 2008 and hosted by Petit Palais in Paris in 2013.
For
visitors, the Gallery organizes many pedagogical-andragogic activities, professional
tours of the Permanent Collection and temporary exhibitions, and smaller
exhibitions that highlight selected works of art. With Curator for a Day,
patrons visit the Permanent Collection with a distinguished personality. For
lovers of fine arts and music, the Gallery and the Slovenian Philharmonic hold
a cycle of art historical lectures and concerts by the Chamber Philharmonic
Orchestra. The Gallery also welcomes renowned figures, such as directors of
international museums, ambassadors from different countries and numerous other
guests.
The
exhibition also shows the happenings in the Gallery which are usually hidden
from the public. Through photographs, we present the departments of the institution,
from administration, expert departments to technical team.
The
curators are the custodians of museum collections. They study works of art and
present them to the public. The main task of the conservation-restoration
specialists is to preserve the physical outlook and condition of art artefacts.
The education department prepares programmes for children, youth and adult
audiences.
The
documentation department keeps records of all movements of art artefacts, while
the photo library and photographers oversee photo documentation of the art
collection and records of gallery events. A particularly valuable source of
research information is the special collection, with documentation and personal
archives of Slovenian artists. Experts are supported by a specialist library,
which is also open to the general public. For the Gallery, the technical
department maintenance the building and its surroundings is indispensable, since
it also provides technical and logistical support for the exhibitions and
performs many other tasks that keep the Gallery functioning smoothly.
All
employees of the National Gallery of Slovenia are involved in the preparation
and execution of the Gallery’s projects. With this exhibition, we want to show
to the public what is required for an exhibition to be successful, from
research to technical implementation.
Author of the exhibition and project coordinator
Nataša Ciber
Photos
Janko Dermastja, Bojan Salaj, Ajda Šubelj (social media), photolibrary of the National Gallery of Slovenia
Design
Kristina Kurent
5 February−18 March 2018
Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Slovenia
Maistrova ulica 10
1000 Ljubljana