Likovna zbirka ACH (Autocommerce)
Baragova 5, SI-1000 Ljubljana
Phone386 (0) 1 588 3000
Founded byAutocommerce d.o.o.
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ACH Art Collection of the Autocommerce d.d. (Slovenian holding company dealing in investment management) is one of the largest company-owned collections of its kind in Slovenia. Comprised of over 400 artworks by more than 40 artists, it offers an outstanding survey of Slovene artistic works from the middle of the 18th to the middle of the 20th century, ranging from Baroque religious motives to portraits, landscapes and still-lifes, to various genre paintings. The oldest painting is by Janez Martin Kremser-Schmidt and dates from the 18th century.
The collection is a result of the systematic acquisitions of works of art over a period of 50 years, begun by Milan Naglič, the first director of the company. The collection is presented at the company's website.
Since 2013 the most precious artworks of the ACH Collection have been housed in the National Gallery of Slovenia.
Exhibitions
The most valuable paintings adorn the walls of the Autocommerce company's business premises, while in 2003 the ACH Gallery was opened at Baragova ulica 5 in Ljubljana. The first exhibition organised there covered the works of the outstanding impressionist painter Matej Sternen, whose 23 artistic works represent the largest group within the ACH Art Collection. In October 2004, on the occasion of the visit of the International Committee for Museums and Collections of Fine Arts (ICFA), an exhibition of landscapes In the Sign of Stimmung [V znamenju štimunge] was prepared. Another thematic exhibition was dedicated to portraits from the collection (Face – Window of the Soul [Obraz - okno duše].
The collection is also occasionally on public display. To celebrate Autocommerce's 50th anniversary in 2002 the entire collection was exhibited for the first time in cooperation with the National Gallery of Slovenia. The exhibition, entitled The Spirit in Time [Duh v času] was curated by Andrej Smrekar and presented around 100 works, including paintings by Fortunat Bergant, Matej Sternen, Rihard Jakopič, Ivan Grohar, Matija Jama, Maksim Gaspari, Stane Kregar, Zoran Mušič, and Gabrijel Stupica.
Among other activities, in winter 2009 the company organised an exhibition about painter and pedagogue Anton Ažbe (1862–1905). This tribute to the Slovene artist, who marked the art scene in Munich (Germany) and also taught many prominent artists such as Alexej von Jawlensky and Wassily Kandinsky, commemorated the 140th anniversary of Ažbe's birth and the 100th anniversary of his death. It was prepared in cooperation with the National Gallery of Slovenia. The exhibition was accompanied by the symposium Munich and Slovene painting Between 1800 and 1918 and a publication, edited by Vanja Pohar and Andrej Smrekar.
