Slovene Impressionists and their Time

The exhibition Slovene Impressionists and their Time 1890–1920 is shown at the Petit Palais in Paris from April 18 through July 13 2013 as the most extensive show of Slovene fine art in France till now.

The first international presentation of the four impressionists (at the time members of the "Sava" group) took place in 1904 at the art salon Miethke in Vienna, the next one in Trieste in 1909. The group Sava exhibited also in Paris - during the peace treaty in 1919 in the scope of Yugoslav art exhibition.

The National Gallery of Slovenia featured Slovene Impressionists and their Time 1890–1920 in 2008 on the occasion of the Slovenian Presidency of the European Union and the 90th anniversary of the National Gallery of Slovenia. In 2009 the exhibition Polish Painting circa 1900, Impressionism and Symbolism was prepared in cooperation with the Polish National Museum. For the Paris exhibit a new selection of works was done by the curators Sylvain Lecombre, head curator of the Petit Palais and Barbara Jaki, director of the National Gallery of Slovenia.

The show contextualises the historical environment of the late 19th and early 20th century with the selected artworks of Slovene painters (Jurij Šubic, Ivana Kobilca, Ferdo Vesel, Anton Ažbe, the four Slovene master Impressionists Rihard Jakopič, Ivan Grohar, Matija Jama and Matej Sternen), sculpture (Franc Berneker, Lojze Dolinar and Ivan Zajec), photography (Avgust Berthold), film (Karol Grossmann), Art Nouveau/Jugendstil illustrations for books by contemporary writers (Ivan Cankar and Oton Župančič), graphics, caricature (Hinko Smrekar) and architecture (a documentary film featuring Jože Plečnik, Maks Fabiani and Ivan Vurnik)