The Lojze Spacal Gallery

Until Sunday, 10 January 2027, Lojze Spacal Gallery will host the exhibition One thing is Sacred: Simple and Authentic. It is conceived as a tribute to Kosovel on the occasion of his anniversary and as a dialogue with visual artists in whose work we recognize a kindred ethical stance. With its strong historic and symbolic features, Štanjel is not only the perfect backdrop for the exhibition, but is also able to inspire new meaning to art. The second floor showcases the works of Valentin Oman, whereas one floor above you can admire Lojze Spacal and Vladimik Makuc. The exhibit is installed at the Kosovel Cultural Centre Sežana and partly at the Lojze Spacal Gallery at Štanjel Castle.

Lojze Spacal (1907–2000) is regarded as one of the most prominent fine artists in the Slovenian and Italian areas after World War II. He is a world-established artist who achieved his creative peak in graphic techniques, particularly linocut and woodcut. He also created using other techniques (oil on canvas, mosaic, tapestry making and fresco) as well as with different mixed techniques (e.g. a combination of sculpting-relief and painting). He is known as an artist of Istria and the Karst, as he was inspired by motifs from both regions, transforming them into his own artistic language. His works of art received several national and international (Slovenian and Italian) awards. Spacal’s paintings and graphics feature in important modern art gallery collections all around the world. Since 1988 Štanjel Castle has hosted a permanent exhibition of his works of art. 

Try the linocut technique yourself using the programmes Follow in Spacal’s Footsteps and Discover Štanjel and Print Your Own Postcard. Every year in May, on the anniversary of his death, the Spacal Walk takes place from the village of Škrbina, where Spacal was buried, to Štanjel.