National Gallery Ljubljana

National Gallery Ljubljana
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The main art museum in Slovenia.

National Gallery in Ljubljana is the main art museum in Slovenia containing the largest visual arts collection from the late medieval period to the twentieth century.

Visit the Permanent Collection with Audio guide in English language or use free mobile app Nexto Guide to lead you through 8 centuries of art in Slovenia. Don’t miss the temporary exhibitions and the exhibition rooms dedicated to painter Zoran Music, take a break in a cosy cafe, visit the museum gift shop, and let the green dwarf Gal welcome young visitors in his magic home hidden in the oldest part of the Gallery.

Experience the gallery in a different way – observe the original works of art and draw in the gallery! Guided tours in foreign languages are organized upon prior reservation. Welcome to the National Gallery of Slovenia!

Address: Prešernova cesta 24, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
Phone: +386 1 241 54 18, Monday CLOSED
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What they say about themselves in the National Gallery Ljubljana

History of the National Gallery Ljubljana

The National Gallery Society was founded in 1918, although the endeavors to establish a home of Slovenian art (an “acropolis” as it was named on the founding) had already been initiated towards the end of the 19th century. The Initiative to establish a national gallery was undertaken by the aristocratic polymath and correspondent Peter Radics and the mayor of Ljubljana, Dr Ivan Hribar, followed by the Christian Art Society which, in 1907, compiled a collection of older Slovenian art. In short, throughout the decades there had been kept alive the irrepressible desire of the Slovenians to have their own arts institution − a desire that was ultimately fulfilled in 1925, with the acquisition of the Narodni dom (National Hall). Likewise important was the regular annual acquisition of works of art: with the legacy from the Strahl will of 1929, it may be said that the National Gallery acquired a considerable fund of works by domestic and European painters, which in 1930 was first exhibited to the public. In 1927 the commissioned casts from the Louvre were brought from Paris to Ljubljana and magnificently installed in the “Slovenian Louvre”. The fund from the donation by Dr Fran Windischer − who was at the same time a patron, then from 1929 also President of the National Gallery Society − was a contribution of exceptional value to the art collection; the Windischer Fund − the first legacy in the history of the institution − is still today the foundation of the gallery’s collection.

Curators of National Gallery Ljubljana

The art fund of the National Gallery of Slovenia represents one of the core activities performed by the curators. The collection, nearing a total of 13,000 inventory units, chronologically encompasses the period from the 13th up till the 20th century. It was conceived with the help of the donations of the founders of the National Gallery Society in 1918, with the presentations of the oeuvres of Slovene painters, and the painters who worked in the area of present-day Slovenia, being systematically added since then through purchases, bequests and donations. Curators make sure that the items in the collections and depots are appropriately stored and handled, they study the material that connects the Gallery fund with the wider artistic arena, presenting it to the public in the form of exhibitions, publications and lectures. The art collection of the National Gallery of Slovenia is divided into the painting and sculpture fund, a fund for works on paper and photographic collection.

Conservation-Restoration

The main focus of activity of the Department of Conservation and Restoration is the care of the Gallery’s collection. A team of experts works primarily in the field of conservation and restoration of paintings, sculptures and works on paper. Due to the nature of work in the Gallery, a lot of time is also devoted to preventive conservation, preparation of artworks for transportation, documentation, optical non-destructive investigations, publications and education. The work of the department is strongly linked to the investigation of material properties in conjunction with the findings of fellow art historians. This comes as a result of fruitful cooperation with related institutions and exchange of expertise.

Source: www.ng-slo.si