STORIES and PHENOMENA – Slovak Fine Art of the 20th Century II.

Miloš Urbásek, O Topic, 1996, latex on canvas, 97 x 97 cm

 

STORIES and PHENOMENA – Slovak Fine Art of the 20th Century

I. Stories of Slovak Modernism. Slovak fine art 1918-1948

II. Phenomena in the Slovak Fine Art in the Latter Half of the 20th Century

The exhibition presents the most significant art phenomena of the latter half of the 20th century that critically determined the nature of art events in Slovakia. The aim of the exhibition is to identify individual phenomena and show the works of artists of many generations, typical of Slovak art of that period. In accordance with the phenomena of fine art, the exhibition gives a picture of the formation of art and art thinking in Slovakia, while it makes possible to study art events in all their bearings. Thanks to putting the works of art into the respective contexts in the development of art, the exhibition presents mutual connections and links between specific artworks, while they still preserve their own qualities and can be perceived as unique artefacts. The permanent exhibition also includes two installations of extraordinary importance, created, or restored, for the given space in situ. The installation of Alex Mlynárčik entitled Villa dei Mysteri, originally created for the exhibition in Lund (Sweden) in 1966-1967, presents significant part of our fine art and an authentic evidence of the period. The installation of Matej Krén entitled Passage consists of nearly 15,000 books, which, together with mirrors, create an illusion of endless space and infinity of human knowledge. The artist donated the installation to GMB in 2004.

Zsófia Kiss - Szemán, curator