Forma perennis

Jože Plečnik – Graphic Designer

16 September–15 November 2025, NUK Exhibition hall

The architecture of Slovenia’s most important architect is internationally recognized and has been widely studied by numerous writers and critics. It is well known that Plečnik’s interests extended beyond architecture—he was also drawn to drawing, design, and the development of applied arts. This was no coincidence: when Jože Plečnik arrived in Vienna at the end of the 19th century, the Arts and Crafts movement was in full swing. Originating in Great Britain, the movement advocated for the preservation of traditional crafts and their close integration with art. The Vienna Secession, of which Plečnik was a part, was grounded in similar ideas.

Plečnik himself was dedicated to preserving local craft traditions—woodworking, stone carving, wrought iron, woodcarving, and brasswork—and he skillfully incorporated them into his architectural projects. He also ventured into graphic design, a field that lacked a strong tradition in Slovenia and only began to develop with the literary publications of the Slovene modernist movement. After returning to Ljubljana in 1921, he was invited to collaborate by Fran Saleški Finžgar and France Stele. This marked the beginning of a fruitful partnership that reshaped Slovene book design. Unlike painters who enriched books with illustrations, Plečnik approached print design “tectonically,” crafting compelling graphic compositions through the arrangement of letters and the layout of text alone.

Many are familiar with his books Architectura perennis and Napori, though likely more for the published architectural plans than for their outstanding graphic design. Some also admire Finžgar’s Makalonca or other books Plečnik designed. Yet the true significance of Plečnik as a graphic designer remains largely overlooked. He himself contributed to this by avoiding public recognition as the author. He firmly believed that any work should stand on its own merits, without relying on the prestige of a famous name.

Nevertheless, his design oeuvre—spanning from his early years in Vienna throughout his life—is surprisingly rich and diverse. This exhibition finally offers a broader presentation of that work—where else but at NUK, the very library he designed.

The exhibition is accompanied by the catalogue Forma perennis: Jože Plečnik as a Graphic Designer, which offers readers a comprehensive introduction to the graphic design work of the great master of architecture..

Exhibition Opening

The exhibition Forma perennis: Jože Plečnik – Graphic Designer will open on Tuesday, 16 September 2025, at 6:00 PM, in the lobby in front of the Main Reading Room of the National and University Library (NUK). At the opening, you will be addressed by Zoran Krstulovič, MA, Deputy Director of Library Operations and Services, exhibition author Andrej Hrausky, and Marijan Rupert, MA, Manuscript Collection Curator and the author’s expert collaborator.

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