History

Maribor Art Gallery opened its doors on 8 February 1954. Maribor thus acquired its first professional institution dedicated to museum and gallery activities. The town again became a relatively important centre of artistic and cultural development that goes back to the tradition of the Grohar Art Club, which was established in the 1920s and had a pioneering role in organised art life in Maribor. By moving into the building on the corner of Strossmayerjeva and Orožnova ulica, UGM acquired about 800 square metres of exhibition space, including the representative Knights' Hall and Pillar Hall. The main exhibition venues are located in the former manor house built in the first half of 19th century and the former church of Celestine monastery from the second half of 18th century. By joining with the Rotovž Exhibition Salon in the 1980s, UGM acquired Department for Contemporary Art and additional space for presentation of contemporary visual art in the very centre of the town.  

 

UGM is currently active as a regional museum of modern and contemporary art in the area of Maribor Municipality, its founder, as well as in the greater area of North-Eastern Slovenia. Thus it has a status of a public cultural institution of greater significance.  

 

HISTORY OF THE UGM BUILDING

The history of the UGM building, situated on a spacious parcel between Koroška, Strossmayerjeva, Gospejna and Orožnova Street – today’s UGM exhibition spaces, management, library, archive and depot – began in 1300 with two small single storey buildings at Koroška Street. In 1314 citizen Kunigunda donated one of the houses to the Šentpavel Benedictine monastery, two years later citizen Valter donated the other house as well. Šentpavel Monastery managed to gain the status of the so called “independent house” and it became a monk’s headquarters. In the first half of the 16th century they connected both houses by an entrance hall and extended the garden behind them all the way to the Orožnova Street. In 1760 the Celestine nuns from Steyr purchased the house in order to arrange a convent. Partly they rebuild the building and added a baroque front with broad spaces between windows. The nuns actually lived in the building and in 1766, after realizing they needed a church, they built the St. Mary of the Annunciation Church in the garden north of the convent. The square “stand-alone” church ended with two axes on the south and faced the Gospejna Street. In 1782 the Emperor Josef II ordered the abolition of the convent, at that period 10 choir sisters and 6 lay sisters lived there.   

 

After the abolition military took over the former convent buildings. In 1811the residential part on the south side of the convent became headquarters of the Maribor district and in 1840 the west part of the building was extended by nine window axes all the way to the convent church. In the year 1843 entrepreneur Carl Gerdes from Bremen bought the building. It became a factory for coffee substitutes and for this purpose he built two wooden storeys into the church hall. On the former garden next to the factory Gerdes built a mansion designed in 1844 by the Austrian architect Josef Hasslinger from Graz. This entirely preserved one-storey residential house along the Orožnova Street became the most beautiful city building built in Neo-Classical style. Architect Hasslinger joined the residential building and the formal church by the still preserved three-axis hall including a winter garden and a terrace facing the west. Gerdes created a concluded residential building and manufacturing complex surrounded by the fence. He left the church front on the west side almost unchanged, the only change made was the door built in by the manufacturer. The factory was placed on this location merely 20 years, after that Gerdes moved it to Koroška Street 31. Between 1865 and 1869 the church had served for divine services of the Maribor Evangelical community.     

 

A new period began in 1869 when Baron Hermann Goedel-Lannoy, son of the Austrian clerk Franc Goedl from Radlje, purchased the building. He worked at the Ministry of Finance in Vienna and was a successful statesman. He received his aristocratic title from the Belgian Baron Henrik Edvard Lannoy, who lived in Viltuš mansion and adopted in 1853 Hermann’s older brother Rudolf Oskar Goedl. It is not apparent how Hermann got this aristocratic title as well. Hermann’s architect Čeriček redesigned the former residential building and manufacturing complex into a mansion with a romantic garden. They pulled down the wooden storey of the former church, put a neo-renaissance façade on the church front facing Strossmayerjeva Street and built a small survey terrace. The new owner changed the interior of the building considerably as well. In order to renovate his mansion in the Italian style he engaged the painters Francesco and Felice Barazzutti from Gemona to paint the staircase ceiling, the rooms in the first floor and the ceiling of the Knights' Hall.

                            

In 1954 Hermann's mansion became exhibition space for the new established Maribor Art Gallery. Parts of the building were reconstructed into apartments, most of them managed by the Maribor Art Gallery, other into library, archive, technical workrooms and depot.    

 

CEILING DECORATION OF THE KNIGHTS' HALL                      

In 1869 Baron Hermann Goedel-Lannoy purchased the building of the Maribor Art Gallery. In order to renovate his mansion in the Italian style he engaged the painters Francesco and Felice Barazzutti from Gemona to paint the staircase ceiling, the rooms in the first floor and the ceiling of the Knights' Hall.                           

Francesco Barazzutti painted the Neo-Baroque ceiling of the Knight’s Hall for almost two years - between 1882 and 1883. He used the domed ceiling of the baroque church divided into several fields through painted ornaments. The ornament is a copy of the stucco decoration from the 17th century. Since most of the scenes include historical events we classify this art work as history painting. At that time history scenes in painting had been very popular in Austria however not in Slovenia and it is most likely the baron got his idea for the motifs in Vienna. Like in other baroque painted ceilings the content intensifies from the corner over the ceiling margin and towards the central field. 

   

Figures in the corner 

The 4 figures in the corners personify the four seasons. Under the “summer figure” in the southwest corner of the hall the painter put his name and date.   

 

Scenes on the ceiling margin

Aggression against Maribor: The scene presents Turkish aggression of Maribor and its liberation in 1532 lead by Žiga Višnjegorski and the Croatian nobleman. The built in original Turkish cannonball demonstrate firing at the Knight’s Hall during the aggression of the Turks.    

Battle of La Golleta: Since Hermann Goedel Lannoy had been honorary member of the Maltese Knights he put a scene of the naval battle of Maltese Knights on the north part of the ceiling. This scene represents the victory of the Maltese over Chaireddin enabling Charles V to march into Tunisia. The Maltese fleet led by commodore Schenk born in Styria contributed 6 of 100 ships fighting in this battle. Saint Anna drawn on the ceiling was the biggest warship in the Mediterranean and the first cannon armed ship.    

Karl V.: On the west side of the ceiling we follow the battle of La Goletta presenting Charles V liberating Christian prisoners. Charles V is painted in a half-profile with a beret, white collar, split up black clothing and order of the golden rune emblem on the chest. 

Liberation of Vienna: Last painting presents the Polish king Jan Sobiesky liberating Vienna from Turkish occupiers in the Battle of Kahlenberg on the 12 September 1683. At that time Turks attacked Maribor as well, but as soon as they heard about the successful march of Jan Sobiesky, they fortunately left the city in order to help their army in Kahlenberg. The painting shows the moment when Jan Sobiesky takes the Turkish trophy. On the right side the artist painted a winged hussar, an elite Polish cavalryman.               

 

Central field                   

Leo the Great and Attila: The painting in the mirror reflection of the ceiling presents the Meeting of Pope Leo I and Attila the Hun. The most significant painting in the hall is an accurate copy of the Raphael fresco in Vatican. In the history Pope Leo I was one of the most important successors to Saint Peter. In 452 when the Huns invaded Italy he saved Rome from the barbarians. Dignified and courageous Pope Leo met Attila the Hun near Matua and persuaded him not to attack Rome. For his nation he was a hero who saved them and people worshiped him like a saint. Raphael’s fresco was made on the order of Pope Leo X in the Apostolic Palace Stanza di Eliodoro in Vatican. On Raphael’s as well as this painting the pope is sitting on a white horse lifting his right hand and with the face of Pope Leon X, who saw himself as the successor to Leo the Great. Like Leo I managed to defeat the Huns Leo X shall defeat the Turks. At this point we can see the connection between the paintings on the ceiling margin and central field. According to Europeans the Turks were just one of those barbaric nations arriving from the east and threatening the European civilization. In the ancient times the barbaric invaders and enemies of the Christianity were Scythians, Dakhs and Huns, later on the Vandals, Tartars, Hungarians and the Turks.