The Beginning of Something Great. The Year 1955 and the 1st International Exhibition of Graphic Arts

National Museum of Contemporary History of Slovenia (MNSZS)
4. 6.–3. 8. 2025

The exhibition marks the 70th anniversary of the 1st International Exhibition of Graphic Arts, which opened on 3 July 1955 at the Museum of Modern Art (Moderna galerija) in Ljubljana. It was an artistic milestone that placed Ljubljana – and, by extension, the former Yugoslavia – prominently on the international art map. Through the participation of international and local artists, the Ljubljana Biennale of Graphic Arts established a connection between the local art scene and the international arena. At the same time, with its long list of participating countries, the exhibition quickly became established as a synonym for the promotion of cultural exchange and peaceful coexistence between nations during the years of Cold War tensions. In this politically and artistically turbulent period, the Biennale flourished and even survived after the fall of the Berlin Wall.

The predecessor of MNSZS – the Museum of National Liberation of Slovenia of the People’s Republic of Slovenia – presented its first permanent exhibition in precisely 1955 and already had its own art and print collection. That same year, with the construction of the new Gospodarsko razstavišče complex – the Exhibition and Convention Centre on Titova cesta (now Dunajska cesta), a distinctly lively exhibition scene began to emerge. At the same time, important memorials were erected in Ljubljana at Gramozna jama, Žale cemetery and Sveti Urh.

The exhibition, which includes a rich selection of photographs and other materials, has been prepared by the National Museum of Contemporary History of Slovenia and the International Centre of Graphic Arts. To mark the 70th anniversary of the uninterrupted course of the Ljubljana Biennale of Graphic Arts, an extensive scholarly monograph on its history will be published and an international conference on the subject will be held in Ljubljana in October 2025.

The exhibition is part of the parallel programme of the 36th Ljubljana Biennale of Graphic Arts.

Authors of the exhibition: Gregor Dražil, Tina Fortič Jakopič, Katarina Jurjavčič, Karla Železnik