Slovak visual art in the interwar period was shaped under conditions of constant change that profoundly affected the lives of individuals.

Nedbalka Gallery

Slovak visual art in the period between the world wars developed under conditions of constant change. People were affected by the collapse of empires, revolutions, economic crises, and two world wars that swept across the continent—events that inevitably left their mark on artistic expression.

At that time, the most important issue in art was the conflict between tradition and modernity. An authentic artistic world emerged, most visibly in the work of Ľudovít Fulla and Mikuláš Galanda. Through both their creative output and their artistic manifesto Private Letters of Fulla and Galanda, they expressed a fundamental stance on the understanding of art and the artist’s mission.

However, independence of thought, along with freedom of spirit and creativity, lasted only briefly in Slovakia. The year 1948 marked the end of an entire era in the development of Slovak art, as well as the conclusion of the formative period of Slovak modernism. The values that emerged during this short period continued to inspire artists for the next fifty years.