About the collection
A private collection. A public view.
JAKAC / PRIVATE COLLECTION is an independent private collection centred on the work of Božidar Jakac, with particular attention to his formative years in the early 1920s.
Preservation, documentation, research
The collection grew from a personal fascination with the immediate power of Jakac’s early prints and from a desire to preserve, document and research works that form an important part of twentieth-century Slovenian art. Particular attention is given to the period around 1920–1925, when Jakac shaped his distinctive artistic language between Prague, Ljubljana and his native Dolenjska.
Every work is also a document
The impression, paper, signature, handwritten inscriptions, numbering, technique, provenance and other evidence can all contribute to understanding the artist’s creative process. The collection is therefore conceived not only as a selection of artworks but also as a developing research archive. Where information is not established, it is not replaced by assumption.
Formative years and the wider oeuvre
Božidar Jakac (1899–1989) was one of the key figures of twentieth-century Slovenian art. In 1919 he left for Prague, where he studied with August Brömse and Franz Thiele. The Prague environment had a major impact on his early printmaking and his encounter with European Expressionism. The early 1920s form one of the central research strands of this collection.
Twentieth-century Slovenian art
Although Jakac forms the collection’s centre of gravity, it also includes selected works by other twentieth-century Slovenian artists. Their presence broadens the view and creates a dialogue between generations, techniques and artistic approaches.
An independent private collection
JAKAC / PRIVATE COLLECTION is an independent private collection and is not the official website of, or formally affiliated with, Galerija Božidar Jakac, the artist’s estate, family or any other institution representing Božidar Jakac. This website exists to document, research and present the collection.