Biennial of Graphic Arts Ljubljana

Profil

Mission
The International Centre of Graphic Arts is a museum that is specially dedicated to the art of printing in the period from the twentieth century to the present. On the basis of its mission, the Centre preserves, studies, communicates and popularizes the material and non-material heritage of the art of printing in different cultural and artistic definitions from the twentieth century to the present, as well as creating and presenting visual art from this same period. The mission is founded on the collections and collection policy of the Centre and on the tradition and vision of the international Biennial of Graphic Arts.

History
The International Centre of Graphic Arts was founded by the City of Ljubljana in 1986. The Centre stands at the end of the Jakopi Promenade at the heart of Tivoli Park. The mansion's history stretches all the way back to the 13th century. The Jesuits in 1713 completely transformed the castle into a mansion. In the latter half of the 19th century, the building passed into the hands of the Ljubljana City Council. At this time, a fountain was installed in the park in front of the mansion, a balustrade was set up, the steps were replaced, and the four bronze statues of tongueless dogs, the work of the sculptor Anton Dominik Fernkorn, were put in place. After the Second World War, the building was turned into residential housing for tenants, who lived there right up to the time of the mansion's renovation.
Dr. Zoran KrLžiLAnik (1920-2008) was the director of the International Centre of Graphic Arts and the Biennial of Graphic Arts in Ljubljana throughout much of their history.

The Biennal of Graphic Arts
The Ljubljana Biennial of Graphic Arts , founded in 1955, enjoys a long and uninterrupted tradition. In the international context, it quickly established itself as an event that, in the difficult post-war decades, had managed to present art in aglobal terms  regularly hosting artists from both sides of the Iron Curtain and, very early on, transcending the Eurocentric viewpoint by showing art works from the Third World, in particular from the non-aligned countries. At the same time, the Biennial recognized and included new art trends and changes in style. At the local level, the Biennial has been a significant inspiration and support to Slovene artists, bringing them closer to what was happening internationally and introducing them to new contemporary art currents. It was in the context of such close ties that the Ljubljana Graphic School developed. In the 1990s, the global and local political changes, as well as new cultural and technological developments, meant the Biennial had to rethink its role and find new ways of working. The Biennial started going beyond the boundaries of the printmaking medium and today includes various modes of artistic expression.