Slovak National Gallery

After a week of marathon grading of essay mid-term exams, I visited the Slovak National Gallery in Bratislava, a marvelous little gem at the southern edge of Old Town, on a busy street along the Danube.

You enter through the Esterházy Palace, on the right here, a lovely historic building which was restored in the 1950s for the Gallery.

That monstrosity on the left is an addition to the gallery built by the Communists. It must rank as the ugliest museum addition on the planet, and it's even uglier in person. The surface appears to be flimsy corrugated aluminum sheets, like those you see on a backyard shed. I can think of only one reason not to tear it down immediately, viz., that nobody would believe how hideous it is without seeing it in person. The billboard for a new model of Ford cars is presumably an addition post-Communism. If it seems scandalous to use an art gallery as a location for commercial billboards, it's not as if it were covering up anything more valuable aesthetically.

Immediately to the west of the Palace are the so-called Water Barracks, with more galleries for the permanent collection. The graceful arched walkway surrounds a lovely courtyard. Alas, it is almost invisible from the street, thanks to that addition. Here's a vew of the Barracks and courtyard, with the aluminum addition overhead.

Here's another view of the addition, this taken from inside the courtyard. You can see a glimpse of the UFO-bridge, also built by the Communists, under the addition.

Attached to the backside of the water barracks is the world's ugliest office building. I could not determine whether these offices are used by the Gallery or for other purposes. At the end of this street, you can see a glimpse of the back side of the U.S. embassy. Did the Communists have a contest for Ugliest Architecture Ever and this was the "winner"?

Inside the Gallery, you cross from the Palace to the Water Barracks and the courtyard through a narrow hallway. On the walls are several old photographs of what the place looked like pre-addition, but without any captions at all. I wondered if this was a silent commentary by the Gallery staff: "Don't blame us. The Communists did this to us." This one shows the Water Barracks pre-addition.

The interior of the Palace wing is beautiful, with a light-filled atrium and modern glass-walled lift.

The permanent collection spans the centuries. The most uniquely interesting treasures to me were the extensive displays of alterpieces, sculptures, and other religious art from Slovak churches dating back from the 13th-16th centuries.

Other rooms showcase the work of Slovak painters over the years. This portrait of "Woman Spinning," by Josef Hanula in 1902, was one of my favorites. The camera does not adequately capture the luminescent shadings in her costume.

Like most museums today, this one has a suite of interesting things for children.

The nicest thing about this Gallery was the welcome I received from the guards stationed in each of the exhibit rooms. Unlike the usual blase and suspicious guards in U.S. museums, they seemed genuinely pleased to see me, and many pointed out their favorite works to me. Part-guard, part-docent, despite limited English, you could see their pride in the Gallery and their delight at welcoming visitors.

Admission to the Gallery is 80 SKK (about $3.20). For another 50 SKK (about $2.00), you can buy a license to take pictures, which I was happy to purchase. The Gallery's web site, with information on other locations in Slovakia, is here: http://www.sng.sk/?id=0&loc=0&lang=1

NOTE: Click on any image in this blog to see it full-size.