Exhibition 24. 4.—14. 9. 2025

ENSEMBLE – Gerrit Rietveld and the MAO Collection

Exhibition 10. 5.—23. 11. 2025

Pavilion of Slovenia at the 19th International Architecture Exhibition La Biennale di Venezia

Exhibition 15. 5.—14. 9. 2025

Future Legacies: MADE IN Platform for Contemporary Crafts & Design

On 24 April 2025, the Museum of Architecture and Design (MAO) opens the exhibition Ensemble – Gerrit Rietveld and the MAO Collection, presenting original works by one of the most important designers and architects of the 20th century. A private collection of furniture and domestic objects, on public view for the first time, is contextualised within the MAO collection and the history of modernist design in Slovenia. The exhibition is supported by the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Slovenia and the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Slovenia.   Gerrit Rietveld (1888–1964) was one of the most important designers and architects of the 20th century. Today, his legacy is most closely associated with his two iconic projects: the Red-Blue Chair and the Rietveld Schröder House, both recognised as symbols of modernism. His early work, characterised by abstract compositions of lines and planes, reflects the principles of the Dutch art movement De Stijl (1917–1931), ...

Master Builders The Slovenian pavilion turns the spotlight on craftsmanship and the skills and techniques related to it as an essential and irreplaceable part of architectural production.   The development of artificial intelligence, 3D printing, and robotization in construction, paired with the tendency toward uniformity and prefabrication of construction elements, is geared towards eliminating the unpredictable human factor from the construction process. On the other hand, this development has laid bare the shortcomings of mechanization and revealed the valuable knowledge inherent in the practices and professions whose reputations have previously remained limited to physical labor and handiwork. The current situation in the construction industry in Slovenia and Europe in general clearly bears that out, demonstrating that the quality and development of the built environment still largely depends on the expertise of craftspeople on the construction site. It is the craftspeople ...

Join us at the opening of the final exhibition of MADE IN Platform for Contemporary Crafts and Design. The opening will take place on Thursday, May 15th 2025, at 6 PM at Center Rog and at 8 PM at Museum of Architecture and Design (MAO).   The Future Legacies exhibition brings together the results of three years of collaboration between designers, craftspeople, scientists and other experts, facilitated by ten organisations across six European countries as part of the MADE IN Platform for Contemporary Crafts & Design.   Through over 60 activities, the Platform explored new articulations of the knowledge embedded in the rich legacy of craftsmanship and science, while encouraging critical thinking through contemporary design and art practices and the latest materials science. The Future Legacies exhibition is a space where heritage meets innovation, place-based knowledge intersects with speculative futures, and craft stands at the heart of both cultural continuity ...

Actual Events

Guided Tour of Fužine Castle for English Speakers

next event: 29. 3. 2025 / 11:00

Built on commission from the Khisl family in mid-16th century, Fužine Castle is the only remaining renaissance castle in Ljubljana. At the time of its construction it served as a proof of wealth, reputation and political powers of its first owners.   The castle changed hands already at the end of the century and then several times over the subsequent periods, which was all reflected in its building structure. An important addition was the hydroelectric power plant which was built in 1897 to serve the Vevče paper mill. Still operative today, the power plant is a unique example of technical history. In 1984, Fužine Castle was declared a cultural monument, and has been dedicated to museum activities and managed by the Museum of Architecture and Design since 1990. The castle is located in the Fužine area which received its name after the ironworks (Slovene: fužine) that were once operative on the river Ljubljanica.   The castle tour for english speakers will be given on ...

Built on commission from the Khisl family in mid-16th century, Fužine Castle is the only remaining renaissance castle in Ljubljana. At the time of its construction it served as a proof of wealth, reputation and political powers of its first owners.

 

The castle changed hands already at the end of the century and then several times over the subsequent periods, which was all reflected in its building structure. An important addition was the hydroelectric power plant which was built in 1897 to serve the Vevče paper mill. Still operative today, the power plant is a unique example of technical history. In 1984, Fužine Castle was declared a cultural monument, and has been dedicated to museum activities and managed by the Museum of Architecture and Design since 1990. The castle is located in the Fužine area which received its name after the ironworks (Slovene: fužine) that were once operative on the river Ljubljanica.

 

The castle tour for english speakers will be given on last Saturday of every month at 11. a.m. by our associate Katarina Metelko.

 

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Foto: Urban Cerjak

Built on commission from the Khisl family in mid-16th century, Fužine Castle is the only remaining renaissance castle in Ljubljana. At the time of its construction it served as a proof of wealth, reputation and political powers of its first owners.

 

The castle changed hands already at the end of the century and then several times over the subsequent periods, which was all reflected in its building structure. An important addition was the hydroelectric power plant which was built in 1897 to serve the Vevče paper mill. Still operative today, the power plant is a unique example of technical history. In 1984, Fužine Castle was declared a cultural monument, and has been dedicated to museum activities and managed by the Museum of Architecture and Design since 1990. The castle is located in the Fužine area which received its name after the ironworks (Slovene: fužine) that were once operative on the river Ljubljanica.

 

The castle tour for english speakers will be given on last Saturday of every month at 11. a.m. by our associate Katarina Metelko.

 

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Opening of exhibition ENSEMBLE – Gerrit Rietveld and the MAO Collection

24. 4. 2025 / 19:00

Join us for the opening of ENSEMBLE – Gerrit Rietveld and the MAO Collection exhibition on April 24 at 7 PM in MAO.   Ensemble is the first exhibition in Slovenia to feature original works by Rietveld. The objects on display are from a private collection of furniture and household objects, now on public display for the first time. This collection, built up over several decades from the 1990s onwards, includes many key works from Rietveld’s furniture workshop. Founded in 1917, this workshop became the hub of Rietveld’s creative collaboration with the furniture maker Gerard A. van de Groenekan, where they spent decades developing new designs and producing variations and iterations of his seminal pieces.   The exhibition places this private collection within the broader context of the MAO collection and Slovenian modernist design. The works and projects of Ciril Tavčar, Niko Kralj Oton Jugovec and others are presented alongside Rietveld’s pieces, linking with them in ...

Join us for the opening of ENSEMBLE – Gerrit Rietveld and the MAO Collection exhibition on April 24 at 7 PM in MAO.

 

Ensemble is the first exhibition in Slovenia to feature original works by Rietveld. The objects on display are from a private collection of furniture and household objects, now on public display for the first time. This collection, built up over several decades from the 1990s onwards, includes many key works from Rietveld’s furniture workshop. Founded in 1917, this workshop became the hub of Rietveld’s creative collaboration with the furniture maker Gerard A. van de Groenekan, where they spent decades developing new designs and producing variations and iterations of his seminal pieces.

 

The exhibition places this private collection within the broader context of the MAO collection and Slovenian modernist design. The works and projects of Ciril Tavčar, Niko Kralj Oton Jugovec and others are presented alongside Rietveld’s pieces, linking with them in terms of concept, material, or chronology to form a harmonious whole. Accompanied by a series of related programmes, the exhibition offers more than a retrospective view; it re-reads Rietveld’s design processes to highlight their unexpected relevance for today, particularly in their approach to natural resources, sustainable materials and social design.

 

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ANSAMBEL - Gerrit Rietveld in zbirka MAO

Join us for the opening of ENSEMBLE – Gerrit Rietveld and the MAO Collection exhibition on April 24 at 7 PM in MAO.

 

Ensemble is the first exhibition in Slovenia to feature original works by Rietveld. The objects on display are from a private collection of furniture and household objects, now on public display for the first time. This collection, built up over several decades from the 1990s onwards, includes many key works from Rietveld’s furniture workshop. Founded in 1917, this workshop became the hub of Rietveld’s creative collaboration with the furniture maker Gerard A. van de Groenekan, where they spent decades developing new designs and producing variations and iterations of his seminal pieces.

 

The exhibition places this private collection within the broader context of the MAO collection and Slovenian modernist design. The works and projects of Ciril Tavčar, Niko Kralj Oton Jugovec and others are presented alongside Rietveld’s pieces, linking with them in terms of concept, material, or chronology to form a harmonious whole. Accompanied by a series of related programmes, the exhibition offers more than a retrospective view; it re-reads Rietveld’s design processes to highlight their unexpected relevance for today, particularly in their approach to natural resources, sustainable materials and social design.

 

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News

13. 02. 2025

European Citizens’ Initiative HouseEurope!

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MADE IN: Save the Dates for Exhibitions in 6 Different Countries

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BIO28 Book: Do You Speak Flower?

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12. 02. 2024

Audio-video guided tour of the exhibition The Structure of Modernity: Edvard Ravnikar and his Quests

  Introduction Study Room Monument House City   Like the concept of the exhibition, the video presentation is divided into four content sections as well: study room, monument, house and city, which the author of the exhibition, curator dr. Miloš Kosec, describes in more ...

01. 02. 2024

Open Call for BIO28 Double Agent: Do You Speak Flower?

31 January till 1 March 2024   The Museum of Architecture and Design (MAO) in collaboration with the Centre for Creativity is launching an Open Call for participation in Double Agent – the 28th Biennial of Design, curated by Alexandra Midal.   Political, bold, vibrant, and provocative, ...

05. 04. 2024

Open Call: Basketry Summer School in Portugal I MADE IN Platform

Deadline for applications: 12 May 2024   The summer school by Passa Ao Futuro is a fully funded 2-week intensive workshop taking place at Loulé Crtiativo in Loulé, Portugal. Design, architecture and craft students are invited to explore techniques of basket weaving with five traditional ...

14. 11. 2023

NOTIFICATION

  There are currently no exhibitions in the museum.   The new exhibition The Structure of Modernity: Edvard Ravnikar and His Quests will be open for visitors from December 1st 2023 onwards.   Thank you for your understanding. See you soon!

16. 10. 2023

Catalogue Universum Plečnik: Between Workshop and Myth

The Museum of Architecture and Design (MAO) is excited to announce the release of the extended catalogue accompanying the recently concluded exhibition Universum Plečnik: Between Workshop and Myth.   The book elaborates on the architect’s approaches to designing public space and focuses on ...

27. 09. 2023

Alexandra Midal to curate the 28th Biennial of Design (BIO28)

BIO28: Double Agent November 2024 – April 2025 Curator: Alexandra Midal Assistant Curator: Emma Pflieger   MAO is pleased to announce the appointment of curator and professor Alexandra Midal as the curator for the 28th edition of the Biennial of Design (BIO), Europe’s longest-standing ...

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