Image: Bratislava City Gallery
Bratislava City Gallery has opened 'Maria Bartuszová – Byť prírodou' at Mirbach Palace, presenting a long-running exhibition devoted to one of the most significant figures in Slovak sculpture. The show runs from 18 June 2026 to 24 January 2027 and was inaugurated with a vernissage on 17 June at 18.00. According to the gallery, the exhibition develops Bartuszová’s relationship to nature through a holistic approach and places particular emphasis on the artist’s abstract, geometric and biomorphic forms.
The exhibition text frames nature as a central part of Bartuszová’s thinking, describing her work as rooted in the idea of the world as an endless, creatively manifesting universe. Maria Bartuszová (1936–1996) repeatedly turned to natural phenomena and cycles from the beginning of her sculptural practice, including rain, wind and later melting snow. The exhibition presents these subjects not as literal depictions but as sculptural transformations of change, movement, temporality, rhythm and force into fixed matter.
Bratislava City Gallery says the project also reflects ecology and feminism, while focusing on the artist’s material and formal language. Bartuszová is represented here through key tactile puzzle works in plaster, as well as works in aluminium and bronze. The gallery highlights these objects as works designed for touch and assembly, extending her practice beyond visual contemplation into physical engagement. The exhibition also includes Bartuszová’s public-space works, especially pieces installed in eastern Slovakia, including Košice, Rožňava, Revúca, Tatranská Lomnica and Vyšné Ružbachy.
The presentation gives special weight to Bartuszová’s haptic puzzles, which the gallery connects to some of the first workshops of their kind in the country. These were made for visually impaired children from the Primary School for the Blind and Partially Sighted in Levoča in 1976 and 1983, and were organised and documented by Gabriel Kladek. On that basis, the exhibition extends into workshop-based forms of interpretation and participation, aligning with Bartuszová’s aim to create art connected to everyday life.
The curatorial team is led by Gabriela Garlatyová, with expert collaboration from Katarína Trnovská. Matej Gavula designed the exhibition architecture and David Kalata the graphic design. The show was developed in cooperation with the Archív Marie Bartuszovej in Košice, Anna Bartuszová, Veronika Bartuszová and Soňa Bartuszová. Bratislava City Gallery also credits support from Dana Hlavačková and Marián Hlavačka, and names the City of Bratislava as the main partner.
A related podcast episode, 'Oči dokorán pre Byť prírodou', was posted on 1 July 2026, featuring Monika Pascoe Mikyšková in conversation with Garlatyová about the exhibition. The gallery’s information lists Mirbach Palace, Františkánske nám. 11, as the venue, with opening hours from Tuesday to Sunday, 11.00 to 18.00, and admission to the palace at 8€ or 4€ reduced.
