In the past, Nitra was the center of Slovak agriculture, which was also reflected in the collection and acquisition policy of the Nitra Gallery, especially in the period before 1989, when works with agricultural motifs were purchased in large quantities, sometimes at the expense of their quality. Curator Mária Janušová elaborated this topic in the exhibition project The Harvest, the problematic acquisition history was reflected in the exhibition The Time of Servants curated by Ľudmila Kasaj Poláčková and Adrián Kobetič.
The Agronauts project is a continuation of this line of work with our collections, in which we would like to present you remarkable works from our depositories with agrarian themes, which are either atypical within the scope of their authors’ oeuvre, have an interesting story behind them, are special in some way, or they are just little known or forgotten.
The Argonauts (from Greek Argonautai — sailing on the ship Argo; Greek argo — fast) were a band of heroes in Greek mythology who took part in an adventurous quest to find the Golden Fleece.
The Agronauts (from Greek agrós — field, land, agriculture + from Greek nautés — sailor) is a band of heroes of visual arts sailing on the Nitra Gallery’s ship of agriculture.