International Centre of Graphic Arts in Ljubljana

Brief information

The Museum of Graphic Arts in Ljubljana occupies Tivoli Mansion, and this immediately creates an unusual combination: contemporary printmaking is presented not in a neutral exhibition box, but in a palace building. The center was established in 1986 as a specialized museum for works connected with printed production. Its collection grew out of the city’s series of biennials of graphic arts and twentieth-century printmaking, so this place is connected not only with preservation, but also with a regular international event.

The center’s main idea is visible through its functions. It collects engravings and artist’s books from the postwar period, displays works in museum galleries, supports graphic workshops, and maintains a thematic public library. Since 2017, the center has also managed the Švicarija art center in Tivoli Park, where artists’ working studios were set up after renovation.

What to notice first

It is useful to view the center as a place where printmaking is not separated from the process of its creation. Tivoli Mansion shows the institution’s shell: a historic building has become a home for contemporary art connected with editions, books, and the printing form. The museum galleries are important as the public-facing side of the collection: it is there that works from the collection are available for viewing, rather than remaining only in an archive.

The graphic workshops change how the museum is read: in the same building, finished sheets and books are not only displayed, but the practice of printing is also supported. The specialized public library adds another layer — graphic art here is considered together with artistic publications. If one compares the mansion, galleries, workshops, library, and Švicarija studios in Tivoli Park, the center appears not as a single exhibition address, but as a network of places where work can be created, studied, displayed, and included in international exchange.