Collection from the Second Half of the 20th Century and of Contemporary Art

Formation of the collection was characterised by an effort to capture the specific dynamics of each individual author's development through selected cross-sections of their work. Among the most extensive units is the long-established collection of book illustrations and subsequent assemblies of drawings and prints. The collection of paintings and collection of unofficial art of the 1960s and 1970s also form a representative unit, and these have been systematically supplemented, especially in recent decades. Regarding original media and chronological setting of the collections as an overview of local art history and its evolution, current development aims at expanding historical and contemporary examples of performance practice and collections of spatial installation, photography, and other media from the 1960s to the present. The collection of works from 1960 to the present has also been profiled over the longer term in relation to urban themes, taking into account the status of the municipal gallery from 1961, as well as in regard to older collections, whether of the city's vedute, local historical events, or portraits of prominent public figures. This intention is further guided by a broader contextualisation of the works within social and architectural frameworks which map the social history and social practices associated with the environment in which the GMB is situated. Most of the works in the gallery's collection were acquired by purchase or donation from artists or patrons, while some works, especially during the second half of the 20th century, were obtained by transfer from various institutions and authorities.