Museum of Contemporary Art, Zagreb

The Museum of Contemporary Art opened in 2009 in a long low building across the Sava in Novi Zagreb, and it is the largest art museum in the country. The permanent collection covers Croatian and international art from the 1950s onwards, and it is strongest on the postwar geometric and conceptual movements that had a genuine centre here, including the New Tendencies exhibitions that brought computer-generated art to Zagreb early. The building has a work built into it: a stainless steel slide by Carsten Höller running from the upper floors down to the entrance level, which visitors can ride. Temporary exhibitions take up much of the remaining space.

History

The museum grew out of the City Gallery of Contemporary Art, founded in 1954 in the Kulmer Palace in Zagreb's Upper Town, which also housed a Centre for Photography, Film and Television and a library. The palace was too small for the collection ever to have a permanent display; today the museum is the largest and most modern in the country (Wikipedia, Museum of Contemporary Art, Zagreb).

Highlights

• The Höller slide - a steel tube slide from the upper floor to the entrance level, open to visitors.
• The postwar Croatian collection - geometric abstraction, conceptual and new media work from the 1950s on.
• The New Tendencies material - works and documents from the exhibitions that put computer art in Zagreb.
• The roof terrace - a long open deck looking back over the Sava to the city and the hills behind it.

When to go

Any time of year, and a good option on the grey wet days Zagreb produces from October onwards. Weekday mornings are quiet and weekends busier. Galleries sometimes close between exhibition changes, which can cut the permanent display substantially, so check what is actually open before making the tram trip out.

Practical notes

It is a long way from the tourist centre and the surrounding blocks of Novi Zagreb are not scenic. The building is large and often feels underfilled, with big empty halls between works. English labelling is patchy in the permanent collection. The slide has restrictions on who can ride it and when, and is sometimes closed altogether.

Nearby

The Sava embankment and the Bundek lake park are within walking distance.

Key facts