Kržišnik Gallery

Where Art and Nature Intertwine

Set within the evolving beauty of Kržišnik Garden, Gallery Kržišnik is not merely a building—it is a continuation of the garden’s spirit. Here, art grows out of the landscape and returns to it, in dialogue with trees, flowers, memories, and light. Founded by the late artist Tomaž Kržišnik, the gallery is both a sanctuary for reflection and a platform for bold, contemporary creativity.

Purpose and Vision

Gallery Kržišnik was created to celebrate and sustain the fertile exchange between artistic creation and the natural world. As both an exhibition venue and a cultural archive, the gallery reflects the Kržišnik family’s multigenerational commitment to the arts, horticulture, and Slovenian heritage.

Its mission is twofold: to preserve and share the work of Tomaž Kržišnik, whose legacy is embedded in the very soil and light of this place, and to provide a platform for contemporary artists—local and international—whose work resonates with themes of ecology, material transformation, memory, and seasonal change.

Each exhibition emerges from the unique spirit of the site. The gallery itself, surrounded by flowering paths and shaded by mature trees, becomes an extension of the landscape. Exhibitions are often curated with direct reference to the garden, and many of the artworks are conceived or developed on-site.

As Tomaž once reflected:

"A drawing is a way of holding onto a fleeting moment—just like pressing a flower. The garden and the sketchbook serve the same purpose: memory."

About Tomaž Kržišnik

Tomaž Kržišnik (1943–2023) was a prolific Slovenian painter, illustrator, and designer whose work blended traditional techniques with experimental approaches. Educated at the Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw, he belonged to a generation of artists who expanded the boundaries of illustration, design, and book-making in the post-war Yugoslav cultural space.

His early work included theatrical set designs, children’s book illustrations, and poster art, but over time his practice turned inward. He began to focus on travel sketches and personal impressions, often captured in visual diaries. His love of cities—Paris, Krakow, Barcelona, New York—was translated into nonlinear, almost cinematic compositions, drawn with lyrical precision.

Later in life, his inspiration returned home—to the garden that his mother-in-law, Juta Krulc, had planted and nurtured. The result was a series of profound, meditative works that explored the garden not just as a visual subject, but as a metaphor for time, growth, and the subconscious.

"The garden is a drawing I walk through," he wrote. "And my sketchbook is where I try to remember its silence."

Maja Kržišnik:

Guardian of Legacy, Curator of Connection

Art historian Maja Kržišnik plays a vital role in preserving and interpreting the intertwined legacies of her mother, the landscape architect Juta Krulc, and her husband, the painter and designer Tomaž Kržišnik. As the curator and cultural steward of the Kržišnik Gallery in Žiri, Maja has transformed their family home and garden into a living cultural space—a place where nature, memory, and creativity meet.

Her work extends far beyond traditional curatorship. Maja organizes exhibitions, guided tours, and annual events like Juta’s Day, where the public is invited to experience the garden in full bloom and view original drawings, plans, and artworks. She also oversees the preservation of Juta’s planting designs and botanical illustrations, ensuring that her mother’s pioneering vision continues to inspire future generations.

Under Maja’s care, the Kržišnik Gallery has become more than a museum—it is a place of continuity, where artistic heritage lives on through education, dialogue, and the shared experience of beauty. Her role is both scholarly and deeply personal, bridging past and present in one of Slovenia’s most quietly powerful cultural spaces.