17. 12. 2010
On Thursday, 16 December 2010, the
State Secretary at the Ministry of Defence, Stojan Pelko, PhD, opened the
seventh exhibition from the series entitled “From
the Riko Fine Arts Collection”.
.
As the collection is too extensive to
be presented on a single occasion, a selection of the works is presented each
year in the Kersničeva kovačnica (smithy) at the Miklova hiša Gallery. The
Miklova hiša Gallery has put on an exhibition of the painting fragments of the
creative journey of one of the central painters of the middle generation,
Marjan Gumilar, which is complemented by the selected drawings or sketches,
while ceramic figurines created by Mirko Bratuša in 2010 were put on display at
the Kersničeva kovačnica (smithy).
Polona Lovšin, the curator of the
collection, emphasised at the opening that the presentation of the works of art
at the Miklova hiša Gallery has been enhanced by the art collecting process of
the Riko company that is characterised by fresh enthusiasm and new impetus that
is certainly leaving a mark. “The Riko Fine Arts Collections has since 2004,
when we began presenting it continuously, been expanding in scope with new
artistic acquisitions. Riko’s art collecting policy has been realised over
the years in terms of its patronage mission with the acquisition of an
apartment in Paris that is offered to visual arts creators. We have provided a
new exhibition space for Riko’s works of art – the Kersničeva kovačnica (smithy).And last but not
least – the commitment to the systematic collection of art and its patronage is
imprinted into Riko’s genetic business makeup which endows our efforts with a
lasting guarantee.”"
Mr. Stojan Pelko opened the exhibition
by paying compliments to the artists, the Miklova hiša gallery and the Riko
company: “You are lucky here in Ribnica to so
often have the chance to enjoy carefully selected art of the finest quality.
The selection is however never abstract, it is rather always concrete. What’s
more, it’s a matter of concrete figures in figures, digits. It’s a matter of
the grand vision of Janez Škrabec, a matter of the unyielding nature of Dr.
Jure Mikuž, a matter of the devotion of Polona Lovšin, a matter of all of those
among you that I do not know personally but see the results of the choices you
make. The whole of Slovenia can see them. Once things are set up so that
concrete people stand behind their concrete choices, new spaces tend to open up
– not necessarily only material, but also mental and virtual.”