Central Slovakia Gallery in Banska Bystrica - Slovakia

The Central Slovakia Gallery in Banska Bystrica, Slovakia

The Central Slovakia Gallery in Banska Bystrica belongs to the oldest galleries in Slovakia. It was established forty years ago during the formation of regional galleries network. At the beginning, the profile of the gallery in its collection, exhibition and artistic, and research sphere was aimed at regional art of l9th and 20th centuries. In 1970 the orientation of the gallery at Slovak and foreign graphic art was anchored in the statute of the gallery which gradually brought about several, in Slovakia unique, periodical events and thus ensuring the gallery supraregional character.

In the course of its forty years history the gallery has changed its name and premises several times and the present, satisfactory solution was only achieved at the beginning of the 90's. During that time the Central Slovakia Gallery in Banska Bystrica became one of the most prestigious cultural organisations in the town and region. By its size and quality of its collection (above all of graphic art), as well as its exhibition rooms it ranks as the third largest gallery in Slovakia after the Slovak National Gallery in Bratislava and the Gallery of the Town of Bratislava.

Thanks to its activities after the social and political changes, the gallery has gained the reputation of one of the most prestigious exhibition and collection institutions. The present priorities, which should ensure its further qualitative growth, are, above all, comple-tion and new processing of works in its collections and their computerisation, extention of international exhibition co-operation and creation of permanent exhibition of Slovak graphic art.

From its history

In 1955 the town of Banska Bystrica celebrated 700th anniversary of granting the town's privileges.

Contemporary artists living and working in the town brought to its mind the town's ancient and strong artistic tradition and topical cultural need, and initiated the establishment of the gallery. On 1st September 1956 the gallery was founded by its separation from one of the oldest museums in Slovakia (the museum in Banska Bystrica has been in existence since 1889), as the third regional gallery in Slovakia.

In 1958 the first permanent worker was appointed for the gallery, and the gallery was alloted its basic collection fund of 145 works and also its first (and for a long time the only) working premises. A decade later it was already a prominent artistic and scientific working place with national and international range of activities.

After the period of limited cultural and political competencies and conceptions - after the period of 25 years, the gallery strongly confirmed its professional authority in both Slovak and international context. It recorded its most dynamic development in 1967-1971 and after 1992.

During the first 35 years of its existence the gallery was managed by artists, since 1990 by fine art historians.

The activity of the gallery has had a wide spectrum from the very beginning. Among its tasks there dominated art education including the care for art education development in Central Slovakia and efforts a imingat establishment and concept ual direction of other regional galleries in Central Slovakia (Dolny Kubin, ilina, Luenec, adca, Martin).

Incomparison, the crucial professional work - collections creation was at first narrowly regional, limited to so-called Banska Bystrica artistic circle of l9th and 20th centuries. This specialisation had and has had up to now its reason. Since the end of the 60's the gallery has achieved a significant profile in the areas of collection creation, science and research and exhibitions.

On the one hand it has remained a regional gallery, on the other hand it has surpassed the regional framework in national and international sense. The gallery follows the art of the region from the beginning of realism (the last quarter of l9th century) up to now in all its artistic departments, kinds and forms but it also evaluates and demonstrates regional individualities from the view-point of national art culture. In the area of graphic art the gallery is of national importance. It makes research, presents, and through its collections it documents Slovak graphic art and, at the same time, makes evaluations in supranational, international framework. In graphic art the gallery has the national priority as well as inter-national professional activities and authority.

In all fields of its activity the Central Slovakia Gallery in Banska Bystrica has had one unique feature from its beginnings up to the present time: it works with contemporary art and functions as a professional working place of the "first contact" with emerging artistic values. It has assumed and carries out a demanding task of distinctly distinguishing among emerging works of art those values which will outlast their time and outgrow the place of their origin. This programme has placed the gallery the to the fore among the Slovak professional working places especially since 1992.

Then the gallery transgressed the region and also the national framework in all artistic kinds and fields, namely in the area of research and exhibition activities. Among the regional galleries in Slovakia the conception of the Central Slovakia Gallery in Banska Bystrica is the most differentiated one. Its exhibition, research and collection activities cover three independent units: art of the region and Slovak art, Slovak graphic art and foreign graphic art. The gallery has been unique for 30 years for its specialisation in graphic art (both Slovak and foreign) and prominent with its programme oriented at contemporary art.

Fuer Kontakt:kokolelebi@aol.com