In the permanent collection of the The Peter Michal Bohúň Gallery in Liptov, the fifth section of the collection presents several aspects of Slovak art history dating from the second half of the 20^thCentury. The selected artists were either born or spent a significant part of their life in the Liptov region. In key examples of their works we can identify specific elements of Modernism and the Neo-Avantgarde (Martinčeková-Šimerová), the junction of Conceptual Art with Land Art (Kern) or with New Music (Adamčiak, Kudlička), and also some examples of Contemporary Art which were only recently acquired by the collection. The common denominator in many of the works represented here is the reflection of genius loci deriving from the high mountains. This can be identified in : capturing “images of the old world” (Martinček); archetypal symbols and game (Ksandr); understanding nature as an inaccessible, apolitical and ahistorical asylum (Papčo); to defining traces leading us to a forgotten past (Hládeková); or understanding nature as potentially painful from a gendered point of view (Ďurina) and others.

Due to the confines of gallery space it is not possible to present the full scope of artistic complexity created during the last 75 years. We would, however, like to emphasise one important point, that there were always many great artists in this region, personalities who stretched beyond their limits and gained success in Slovakia or were recognized internationally. We at the gallery plan to dedicate research to each of these artists individually