Family Matters

The selection of works focuses on artists whose creative activities date to the 20th and 21st centuries. The oldest pair reaches as far back as the 19th century, consisting of the father – Raimund von Wichera (1862 – 1925) and his son Maximilián Schurmann (1890 – 1960). The exhibition presents works of artists whose pieces have become a part of the Nitra Gallery collection fund. In this way, it is not just a probe into their affairs, but also into the gallery collections while trying to confront a wider generational range of different artistic approaches and strategies, as well as the model pairs and their potential creative and personal relationships. 

A special feature of the exhibition is a video documentary providing intimate testimonies of the artists, a kind of an “oral history” which will provide a glimpse into the way they perceive their relationships, how they influence and interact with each other. The narrations capture how they felt about each other’s work, whether they reflected on it. Also, if there was a need to distance themselves from each other or rather coexist more harmoniously and create a supporting creative environment for each other.

This served as a base for creating dialogues between married couples: Elvíra Antalová – Eduard Antal, Lucia Papčová – Štefan Papčo and Olja Triaška Stefanović – Ján Triaška and between fathers and sons: Ján Mudroch – Marián Mudroch, Jozef Srna st. – Jozef Srna ml., František Studený – Michal Studený, Raimund von Wichera – Maximilián Schurmann. In cases of deceased artists, interviews were created with associated art theorists or broader family members. The interview about the Antals was created with their daughter, Zuzana Duchoňová (architect), the Mudrochs interview was done with Katarína Bajcurová (art theorist, SNG curator), Wicher and Schurmann’s relationship was described by Július Barczi (art historian, director of Soga Art Auction House) and the remaining fathers are described by their sons (Jozef Srna ml. and Michal Studený).