Universalmuseum Joanneum Press Office Translocal Participating

Universalmuseum Joanneum Press office Universalmuseum Joanneum [email protected] Mariahilferstraße 4, 8020 Graz, Austria Telephone +43-316/8017-9211 www.museum-joanneum.at Translocal Participating Museums Universalmuseum Joanneum Location: Graz, Austria About the museum: for over 200 years the most diverse areas of science and culture have merged into the melting pot that is the oldest museum in Austria, also the largest multi- disciplinary museum in Central Europe. Over 4.5 million objects are collected at more than ten sites throughout Styria where they are also preserved, researched and comprehensively exhibited. In the Joanneum, Contemporary Art forges a path both international and up to date, being on show at two locations that play on the synergy of their respective strengths. The unconventional architecture of the Kunsthaus Graz is carried over to its exhibition areas, a starting point for advanced projects that have focused on new and cutting-edge art since the 1960s. The Neue Galerie Graz has also accompanied and documented contemporary artistic trends since the 1960s, thus enabling it to refine the historic foundation of its collection (art since the 1800s) with the highest standards right up to present day art. The exhibition and events program of the Joanneum conveys a broad spectrum of the arts, culture and science with varying focal points. Website: www.museum-joanneum.at Moravská galerie v Brünn Location: Brno, Czech Republic About the Museum: the Moravian Galery (Moravská Galerie) in Brno is the second largest art museum in the Czech Republic comprising an incredibly broad range of artistic disciplines. It is the only institution of the country devoted to the collection of visual arts both past and present in areas such as painting, drawing, graphic art, sculpture, photography, applied arts and design. Website: www.moravska-galerie.cz Page 2 Muzeum Sztuki Location: Łódź, Poland About the Museum: the Muzeum Sztuki in Łódź is one of the oldest museums of Modern and Contemporary Art in the world. Its connection to the avant-garde goes right back to the transition period of the 1920s and 30s when radical artists of the group ‘a r’ started collecting works of art of famous artists at the time. This idea attracted wide interest among the European avant-garde, and many outstanding artists like Fernand Leger, Max Ernst, Hans Arp und Kurt Schwitters donated their works to the collection. Thus the assets of the group ‘a r’ became a unique symbol of solidarity and cooperation among the avant-garde. The international collection of the group ‘a r’ comprises all major art trends like Cubism, Futurism, Constructivism, Purism, Neo-Plasticism, and Surrealism. On February 15, 1931 the collection was opened to the public and since then has been continuously extended with modern and contemporary works of art. The Sztuki Art Museum is the only museum in Poland to own such an extensive collection of international art of the 20th and 21st century. Website: msl.org.pl Kumu Art Museum Location: Tallin, Estonia About the Museum: Kumu is the headquarters of the Art Museum of Estonia, as well as the largest and most impressive exhibition venue in Estonia. This modern museum building designed by the Finnish architect Pekka Vapaavuor and opened to the public in February 2006, offers excellent opportunities for art exhibition, art conservation and art education, as well as for holding various cultural and corporate events. In addition to a total of 5000 square metres of exhibition space, Kumu also includes an auditorium with 245 seats, a public library, an education centre, a cafe and restaurant, a gift shop, a cosy courtyard and an exclusive roof terrace. Kumu hosts over 150,000 visitors a year. In 2008, Kumu was named the European Museum of the Year by the European Museum Forum. Kumu Art Museum that had initially been planned as a national gallery became a museum that functions on two levels: collections of Estonian art starting from the early 18th century on the third and fourth floors, and a contemporary art gallery on the fifth floor. Art pre-dating World War II is exhibited on the third floor; the fourth floor houses an exhibition of works from the period of Soviet occupation. On Kumu's fifth floor, there are exhibitions of contemporary art from Estonia and abroad. The Art Museum of Estonia is in charge of the largest art collection in Estonia, which includes works of art from medieval altarpieces to contemporary art. The collection, which currently includes almost 60,000 works of art, got its start in 1919 with the establishment of the Art Museum of Estonia. The international dimension occupies a very important place in Kumu's activities. Half the rotating exhibitions (a total of 11 or 12 larger exhibitions are organised annually in the four exhibition halls) deal with Estonian art, and the other half with international historical art and modern art. Website: www.kumu.ee Page 3 muzej suvremene umjetnosti Location: Zagreb, Croatia About the Museum: the museum was founded on December 21, 1954, when the National Assembly of Zagreb issued a decree concerning the foundation of a regional gallery for contemporary art. The purpose of this museum was to research, document and promote events, styles and phenomena of contemporary art. The gallery immediately started building up the museum’s permanent collection, always in accordance with the general museums’ regulations and needs of the time, and also its role as a museum. The Museum for Contemporary Art is the current name of the Regional Gallery in Zagreb which used to entail the Gallery for Contemporary Art, the Center for Photography, Film and Television, and the Benko-Horvat- Collection as well as a library and department for documentation. The institution also included the Atelier Meštrović (today: Meštrović Trust), the Croatian Museum for Naïve Art, and the Jozo Kljaković Collection (run today by the Center for Applied Arts) before being split up. After years of discussions as to where the new museum should be located, finally in 1998 the decision was made to construct a new building. It was agreed that the new address should be in Novi Zagreb, at the junction of Većeslava Holjevca and Avenija Dubrovnik. The construction work officially started on November 17, 2003 with the new building finally opened on December 11, 2010. Website: www.msu.hr Kunstmuseum Liechtenstein Location: Vaduz, Liechtenstein About the Museum: Our motto is openness, our method dialogue, and the contemporary our speciality. The Liechtenstein Museum of Art is a place of involvement with contemporary art and its roots in Modernity. In addition to that exhibitions of works from the private collections of the Princes of Liechtenstein forge a bridge to the world of the old masters. The Liechtenstein Museum of Art’s objectives derive from its dual role as National Gallery and institution of education. The collection is focused on content that reveals new perspectives. The known, the unknown, old and new, local and international, all are presented in a new light. This creates complex situations allowing all the senses to actively participate in art, thus generating new ways of looking at things. The union of contemporary architecture, accurate modes of presentation, personal atmosphere and individual programs of education are all vitally important for the museum. The focus on art and its messages is seen as both a challenge and an asset. Website: www.kunstmuseum.li Page 4 Kunstmuseum Stuttgart Location: Stuttgart, Germany About the Museum: The foundation for the Collection in Stuttgart was laid in 1924 by Count Silvio della Valle di Casanova when he bequeathed his private collection of Swabian Impressionists. When the Villa Berg was destroyed during WWII, the ‘Gallery of the City of Stuttgart’ found new exhibition halls in the Kunstgebäude am Schlossplatz in 1961. Eugen Keuerleber, in charge of the city collection from 1945 onwards, centered the collection around Adolf Hölzel and Otto Dix. From 1986 onwards the head of the museum Johann-Karl Schmidt complemented the collection with works by internationally renowned artists like Joseph Kosuth, Dieter Krieg, Wolfgang Laib, Markus Lüpertz, Dieter Roth and K.R.H. Sonderborg. In addition to that important collections could be acquired as permanent loans: the Rudolf und Bertha Frank Collection in 1992, and the Konrad Knöpfel Trust Fritz Winter in 1994. Under the head of the museum Marion Ackermann, the Archive Baumeister moved into their own rooms in 2005 into the newly completed museum. Most recently the collection has been expanded with the Heinz and Anette Teufel Collection with works of Concrete Art. Since January 1, 2010 the Stuttgart Museum of Art has been under the stewardship of Ulrike Gross. Website: www.kunstmuseum-stuttgart.de .

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