3. 12. 2025 Discovering the Neo-Baroque Ceiling Painting in the Grand Hall of UGM

Discovering the Neo-Baroque Ceiling Painting in the Grand Hall of UGM
UGM, Strossmayerjeva ulica 6
Wednesday, 3 December 2025, 17:00

You are warmly invited to join art historian Dr. Polona Vidmar in uncovering the story behind the neo-Baroque ceiling painting in the Grand Hall of the Maribor Art Gallery. Who commissioned the painting, and why? What is depicted in it? When was it created, and what characterizes that period? How does the painting compare to others in our region and beyond?

“The largest neo-Baroque ceiling painting in Slovenia is located in what is today the Grand Hall of the Maribor Art Gallery (UGM). The mural on the mirrored ceiling of the former Celestine church later converted into a ceremonial hall – was commissioned by Hermann Baron Goedel-Lannoy, the last owner of Maribor’s largest city palace, and executed by the Friulian painter Francesco Barazzutti. Following the example of grand historical cycles created in European capitals during the second half of the 19th century, Barazzutti copied Raphael’s famous fresco from the Vatican Palace in the central field of the ceiling and arranged around it scenes of well-known military clashes with the Ottomans. This historicist ceiling painting – of which there are relatively few in Slovenia – coincided with the commemoration of the bicentenary of Vienna’s deliverance from Ottoman siege.” – Dr. Polona Vidmar

The presentation will be given by Assoc. Prof. Dr. Polona Vidmar, Department of Art History, Faculty of Arts, University of Maribor, and Senior Research Associate at the France Stele Institute of Art History, ZRC SAZU

The programme for the "Ta veseli dan kulture" is part of the Year of the Baroque, a collaborative initiative bringing together museums, educational institutions, and research organizations dedicated to exploring Baroque art.

Free admission. Participation is free of charge.