Permanent Exposition

The medieval castle is currently the most extensive gallery in Slovakia. Its space off ers visitors a large collection of old masters from the 14th to the 19th centuries. The halls of the ground and fi rst fl oor are attractive exhibition spaces with a wealth of artistic types, themes and styles.

Gothic Art
The ground fl oor contains the oldest works: polychrome sculptures as well as panel paintings – which were originally part of Gothic winged altarpieces. Most works are originals from diff erent regions of medieval Europe. The exceptions are the expert copies of sculptures from the main altarpiece of Saint James by Master Pavol of Levoča, as well as transfers of wall paintings from the 1460s, once the decoration of the so-called
‘Green Room’ in one of the Zvolen townhouses.

Icons in Slovakia
The fi rst fl oor exhibition begins with an overview of the small icon collection held by the SNG. Their content represents a legacy of medieval Byzantine painting, in Slovakia mostly from Orthodox and Greek Catholic communities in north eastern and eastern parts of the country. The oldest are from the 16th century. They include the Mandylion (Image of Christ) and the relatively rare legend of King Abgar, as well as two small icons depicting the Evangelists Saints Mark and Matthew from Lukov Venécia. Images of the Crucifixion, the Madonna or Saint George the Dragon Slayer give an idea of the most common themes contained in the iconostases of Orthodox churches.

European Art, 16th – 19th Centuries
Using geographical and chronological criteria, visitors on the first floor can discover the particular schools of Italian, Netherlandish or Dutch painting from Mannerist through to the Baroque and Classicism. The gallery contains works to please admirers of genre painting, still lives and portraits, as well as large historical compositions or Biblical iconography.