Moderna galerija (MG+MSUM) is Slovenia’s national museum of modern and contemporary art based in Ljubljana. It operates as two separate units: Moderna galerija/the Museum of Modern Art (MG+) and Muzej sodobne umetnosti Metelkova/the Museum of Contemporary Art Metelkova (+MSUM).
Moderna galerija (the Museum of Modern Art, MG+) is a place to create, learn, be inspired, socialize, and explore diverse historical narratives. Located on the edge of the city center and by the main pedestrian entrance to Tivoli Park, the museum premises feature works from the museum’s national collection in the exhibition 20th Century: Continuities and Ruptures, a chronological presentation of the development of different styles in the history of 20th century Slovenian art, in dialectical relation with the line of interruptions presented through different avantgarde movements. In addition to this permanent exhibition, Moderna galerija stages retrospective exhibitions of key figures in, and themed exhibitions of, 20th century Slovenian visual art.
The Museum of Contemporary Art Metelkova (+MSUM) operates in its local community and internationally. It is a place for open discussions, connections, cooperation, and reflection. The most recently opened art museum in Ljubljana, it is intended for everyone interested in contemporary Slovenian art production and works by crucial international avant-garde artists since the 1960s, including long overlooked artists from Eastern Europe. The concept of the museum is dynamic: in addition to works from the Moderna galerija collections displayed in the The Present and Presence show, there are also temporary exhibitions, interactive art projects and installations, curated video selections, and solo shows of young up-and-coming Slovenian artists. The museum also houses the MG+MSUM library, the archives, and the restoration-conservation department.
The difference between the Museum of Modern Art (MG+) and the Museum of Contemporary Art Metelkova (+MSUM) is based on the historical development of Moderna galerija, its collections, exhibition policies, and the cultural and political contexts on the one hand, and, on the other, on the need to reevaluate modernism and articulate contemporaneity as something that essentially differs from both modernism and postmodernism and describes a particular condition of art, its institutions, and social circumstances.
The MG+MSUM philosophy is based on the commons, on sharing and collaboration. All museum departments work in cooperation with other institutions and art spaces, public bodies, private companies, and NGOs on a variety projects, ranging from staging temporary exhibitions to designing educational programs, organizing public events, or restoring artworks. The projects are developed together with the respective partners from the conception to the realization. This collaborative approach has transformed the role of the institution in the urban context, helping to redefine the neighborhood as an environment co-created by the local community and cultural and social institutions and organizations.
On the international level, the story of the museum has been linked with five major European museums (MNCARS, Madrid; M HKA, Antwerp; SALT, Istanbul; VAM, Eindhoven; MACBA, Barcelona) in the L’Internationale confederation of museums since 2010. Based on the values of difference, solidarity and commonality, L’Internationale is conceived as a platform for horizontal collaboration with different social agents defending the concept of common heritage.
target groups
In addition to serving the general public with its exhibitions and events program, MG+MSUM has special programs designed for the following groups:
_preschool children (aged 3–5)
_schoolchildren (6–14)
_secondary school students (15–19)
_Slovenian and foreign university students (in groups or individually)
_The Slovenian Third Age University students
_tourists
_families with children
_national and international cultural workers (art teachers, artists, art historians, curators, philosophers, journalists, researchers …)
