Moderna galerija / Museum of Modern Art circa 1950
In the Ravnikar's Year Moderna galerija is organizing a series of guided tours on Sundays (in Slovenian language), focused on the history of Moderna galerija's building.
Sunday, 1 October 2023, at 11 a.m.
Sunday, 22 October 2023, at 11 a.m.
Sunday, 5 November 2023, at 11 a.m.
Sunday, 19 November 2023, at 11 a.m.
An art historian Kaja Rožman leads the tour, which also includes a walk to Republic Square. Meeting point: Museum lobby. Admission €5 (discounted ticket €2.5). For registration, please contact izobrazevanje@mg-lj.si.
The guided tours are accompanied with children's workshops entitled Where does modern art live?
On the occasion of the 30th anniversary of death of the architect, designer, teacher, and writer Edvard Ravnikar, the government of the Republic of Slovenia, on the suggestion of the Ministry of Culture, has designated 2023 as the Year of Ravnikar. Wishing to pay our respects as users of one of his early architectural works, the Moderna galerija building, we have chosen a few selections from the writings of and on the architect, some of which are also kept in Moderna galerija’s archives and library.
Especially relevant in our case is Ravnikar’s own presentation of Moderna galerija, the building of which started on 12 October 1939 (Ravnikar, E., “Moderna galerija”, Kronika slovenskih mest vol. 7, no. 2 (1940), pp. 65–74.). In addition to the architecture, the author also presents its function in the second part of the article, entitled “The Problem of a Contemporary Museum or Gallery.” This is consistent with the findings of researchers working on Ravnikar’s oeuvre, as he always paid attention to the concept, the spatial organization of a building, and not just its aesthetic impact.
When the construction of Moderna galerija began, Ravnikar had just completed his studies under the architect Jože Plečnik and had returned from a few months’ training in Le Corbusier’s studio in Paris. In the last interview Ravnikar gave (to Boštjan Vuga for the Razgledi journal, 17 September 1993) he spoke of the relationship the two great architects had with their students, and of his split with Plečnik. Ravnikar was appointed Professor at the Faculty of Architecture in 1946, and according to his students he was popular thanks to his broad specialized and general knowledge, as well as his worldliness. Like Plečnik’s School before him, Ravnikar’s taught a wide variety of subjects, giving importance not only to large-scale spatial designs but also to things like graphic design.
Ravnikar’s interview with Ivica Mlađenović for the Zagreb-based journal Oko (12 June 1980) still sounds very current. Among other things, he expressed his disappointment with the attitude that politicians had to urban planning, which should improve the quality of urban life by adapting the environment to human needs, while his reflections on pedestrian zones, public transport, monuments, and excessively engineering-oriented studies remain relevant today. Mlađenović wrote that when it came time to review the text for any mistakes or misunderstandings, Ravnikar crossed out the mention of the awards he had received for his extensive body of work produced after the Moderna galerija building – a wish that we will also respect.
