English 
Slovenščina 
The Gallery of Naive Artists Trebnje is the largest and only gallery in Slovenia that systematically collects, studies and exhibits the works of naive or self-taught artists. It offers a unique collection of art works that have been created in parallel and in the shadow of “official” art production from the 1950s to the present day.
The entire collection comprises around 1500 works of art. Apart from individual donations, most of the works were created at the International Meeting of Self-Taught Artists Trebnje (1968), which, with its tradition of more than half a century, is a special event in the European space. A visit to the permanent collection offers a glimpse into bygone times of village life in different parts of the world, into idyllic, surreal dream worlds, right up to contemporary questions about the meaning of life.
The permanent exhibition presents a selection of artworks by local and international self-taught artists from the mid-20th century to the present day. It is arranged according to the geographical origin of the artists and at the same time in chronological order from the oldest to the most contemporary representatives. It is divided into:
- green room: Slovenia
- brown room: Croatia, Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Macedonia
- blue room: Rest of the world
Slovenia
The beginnings of self-tought artists in Slovenia date back to the 1950s, with a few early exceptions. Individual artists come from different social backgrounds, which influence their personal artistic language as well as their painting motifs.
The first part presents the pioneers: Viktor Magyar, Anton Repnik, Polde Mihelič, Jože Peternelj, Konrad Peternelj, Anton Plemelj, Jože Horvat – Jaki and Greta Pečnik. In the second part are the most numerous representatives of the middle generation from the 1960s and 1970s, and finally the contemporary representatives in Slovenia.
Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Macedonia
In the area of the former Yugoslavia, after the Second World War, there was a flowering of creativity of self-taught or naive artists. Several centres of naive art emerged, including Hlebine, Zagreb, Kovačica, Jagodina, Uzdina, Šid, Zlastar and Sanjski most, in addition to Trebnje. In Croatia, naive art was founded in the so-called Hlebina school with the distinctive painting technique of painting of glass painting. In addition to numerous representatives of the classical naive, the exhibition also presents representatives of the younger generation of self-taught artists in this field, with a different, contemporary artistic language.
Other Europe and the world
Naive or self-taught art is developed all over the world, as evidenced by the numerous galleries and museums dedicated to this type of art. Artists in each country share common characteristics, from typical landscapes, colouring and motifs, as they draw on their local traditions and the world around them to create their work. In the countries of South and North America, in particular, there is, in addition to the above-mentioned elements, a mix of native and immigrant traditions, as well as elements of different religions and races.
