Riko Art Collection
Background
The Škrabec family have been avid art collectors and culture supporters since the beginning of 20th century. Its director Janez Škrabec is one of the most visible contemporary Maecenas of Slovenian culture with a very personal and exceptional vision, based in the tradition of his ancestors, who supported Slovene impressionists and their followers already at the beginning of 20th century. The author of the book The New Philanthropists Charles Handy, published in 2006, placed Janez Škrabec as the only Slovene among 23 personalities designated as a new philanthropist.
Although not the fruit of a systematic strategy of collecting and a rigorous buying politic as for many well-known corporate art collections, the Riko Art Collection follows the very personal strategy of its proprietor.
Collection
The Riko Art Collection offers special overview of the last 100 years of Slovene art history. It comprises works of all great names of the first half of 20th century as Ivan Grohar, Rihard Jakopič, Matej Sternen, Matija Jama, Maksim Gaspari or sculptures as Lojze Dolinar, Ivan Zajec, Boris Kalin, brother Kralj among other.
Today, the Riko Art Collection pays special attention to the visual art production of the last three decades. Among others, the collection includes 35 paintings by Živko Marušič, a favourite contemporary painter of the Collection´s owner. Further it includes also works by Emerik Bernard, Gustav Gnamuš, Mirsad Begić, Mirko Bratuša, Jakov Brdar, Marko Jakše, or Zdenka Žido. Representative of the youngest generation are: Uršula Berlot, Matej Košir, and Jaša.
Programme Paris-Hrovača
Riko's programme Paris-Hrovača allows artists – mostly graduates of the Academy of Fine Arts and Design – to live in an apartment and create in a studio in Paris (both owned by the Riko Group) in exchange for donating the art works created there to the Riko Art Collection. Since 2009, visitors of this programme in Paris also receive scholarships for living and working in the French capital.