Ljubljana School of Graphic Arts
Ljubljana School of Graphic Arts was an art movement of graphic artists in Slovenia during the mid 20th century. It developed in conjunction with the establishment of the Ljubljana Biennial of Graphic Arts in 1955 and was supported by the Academy of Fine Arts in Ljubljana.[1] The movement's most active period spanned from 1955 to 1970.[2] At its time, Ljubljana (the capital of Slovenia) gained recognition as one of the leading centres of graphic art internationally.[3] Today, the school is considered one of Slovenia's most successful art currents.[4] The Ljubljana School of Graphic Arts has produced at least 10,000 graphic works and comprises one of the world's largest cultural and artistic graphic heritage collections.[5]
The origins of the Ljubljana Graphic School are linked to the first international graphic arts exhibition in Ljubljana in 1955, which later became the biennial.[6] The artists associated with the movement were known for their pursuit of technical excellence, particularly in traditional intaglio techniques such as etching and aquatint.[1] Their approach emphasized the autonomy of printmaking as an independent artistic medium. The movement emerged from the partisan graphic art and meant a break with social realism, adhering closely to the principles of Western European modernism. Notable artists of the school were Riko Debenjak, Božidar Jakac, Miha Maleš, France Mihelič, Maksim Sedej, Janez Bernik, Bogdan Borčić, Andrej Jemec, Adriana Maraž, and Tinca Stegovec.[7][8]
References
- ^ a b Škrjanec, Breda (8 October 2015). "Slovenian Printmaking: A Journey Through Six Decades". Retrieved 22 July 2025.
- ^ Plemenitaš, Karel (2022). Monologi : risba, grafika, keramika : 1969-2019 : Galerija Šivčeva hiša Radovljica, 1. 7.-31. 8. 2022 (PDF). Muzeji radovljiške občine [Museums of the Municipality of Radovljica]. ISBN 978-961-6687-23-2.
- ^ "Najpomembnejše grafične ustvarjalke, ki so študirale na ljubljanski akademiji" [The Most Important Female Graphic Artists that Studied at the Ljubljana Academy]. Mladina (in Slovenian). 25 March 2025.
- ^ "Ta veseli dan kulture v KGLU in KPM". Koroška galerija likovnih umetnosti [Carinthian Gallery of Fine Arts]. 3 December 2018.
- ^ Zlobec, Marjan (28 July 2025). "Od grafičnega bienala v Ljubljani je ostal le en g" [Only one g remains from the graphic biennial in Ljubljana] (in Slovenian).
- ^ "Ljubljanska grafična šola" [Ljubljana Graphic School]. Zakulisje [Behind the Scenes] (in Slovenian). MGLC. Retrieved 21 July 2025.
- ^ Černe Oven, Breda; Predan, Barbara, eds. (2024). "Ljubljanski grafični bienale in ljubljanska grafična šola" [Ljubljana Biennial of Graphic Arts and Ljubljana School of Graphic Arts]. Vizualna pismenost [Visual Literacy] (in Slovenian). Academy of Fine Arts and Design. pp. 49–60.
- ^ "Razstava sodobne grafične produkcije v MGLC-ju" [Exhibition of Modern Graphic Production at the MGLC] (in Slovenian). Radio Študent. 17 September 2008.