Departments and collections

The Collection of Watercolors contains works of art on paper painted in the watercolor technique and related water-based techniques. A considerable part of these was collected during 1980s at the time of the Watercolor Biennale of Yugoslavia, an exhibition that the Karlovac City Museum had been organizing from 1979 to 1989 in honor of Slava Raškaj. Since 1998, the Karlovac City Museum, together with the Artworks Gallery of the City of Slavonski Brod, has been organizing the Croatian Watercolor Triennale, and thus following the contemporary watercolor achievements.

The Collection of Drawings is an art collection comprising artwork on paper executed in various drawing techniques. Chronologically it covers the period from the 19th century. A special place in the collection is held by the valuable works of the renowned Karlovac draftsmen Daniel Butala (1943 - 2017) and Alfred Freddy Krupa (1971), and by the portrait caricatures of well-known Karlovac residents authored by Miroslav Reiner and donated by Ms Maja Muhovec.

The Collection of Graphic Art is an art collection comprising artwork on paper executed in various graphic techniques. Chronologically it covers the period from the 19th century. In addition to graphic portfolios, it also contains individual print sheets.

The Collection of Modern and Contemporary Painting is an art collection comprising artwork executed in the painting techniques of oil, acrylic and polycolor on canvas, glass, lesonite or other bases, and of tempera and pastel on paper from early 20th century. The collection contains the works of authors whose birth, life, and creations are connected to the city of Karlovac, and works of the authors who have held highly regarded exhibitions in the exhibition premises of the city of Karlovac, and in particular in the “Vjekoslav Karas” Gallery. The collection represents a source for the exploration and presentation of the cultural history and art of the city of Karlovac, artistic and social life in Karlovac and the surrounding region, and is a selection perfect for getting acquainted with the body of work of visual artists connected to the city and region of Karlovac and its people through their biography and/or ouvre.

The Poster Collection is a documentary and art collection of printed materials. Chronologically it covers the period from the 19th century. The centerpiece of the collection are posters related to the activities of the Painting Gallery of the City of Karlovac (1945 – 1954), Karlovac City Museum and other museums and heritage institutions of the city of Karlovac, Croatia and beyond, as well as anti-war posters from the times of the Homeland War.

The Sculpture Collection features sculptures (statues, reliefs, small-scale sculptures, scale models, objects) made in stone, metal, plaster, wood, ceramics and artificial materials, chronologically covering the period from the 19th century. The collection represents a valuable source for the exploration and presentation of the sculptural heritage of Karlovac linked to the life and body of work of visual artists from Karlovac (Franciska Petelinšek, Zdenko Grgeljac, Andrija Kusanić), and for the presentation of sculptural ouvres of nationally important authors whose works have been preserved by a Karlovac family and then found their way into the collection, or whose lives and work were linked to Karlovac and its residents.

The Collection of 18th and 19th Century Paintings is an art collection comprising paintings on canvas, paper and solid formats, executed in painting techniques (oil and combined techniques). Chronologically it covers the period up to the 20th century. Some of the artwork was transferred to the collection from the City Government, i.e. from the City National Committee in the years following World War II. The collection is a valuable source for the exploration and presentation of cultural history and art of the city of Karlovac, and provides an insight into the body of work of visual artists whose biography and/or ouvre are associated with the Karlovac city, region and people.

The Collection of Art Photography, Multimedia and Other Contemporary Techniques is an art collection comprising analogue and digital photography, videos, audio recordings, concepts. Chronologically it covers the 20th and 21st century. A prominent part of the collection is the donation of a photography series titled “Portraits of the Star City” by Goran Vranić.