Artistic Colony of Detva (Detvianska umlecká kolónia – DUK)

    DUK follows the rich tradition of Painting Colony of Detva (Detvianska maliarska kolónia) (1901 – 1909) founded by Jaroslav Augusta. DUK unites such painters and designers as E. Pacovský, L. Strimpl, O Vaňáč, O. Otmar, A. Brunner and others. Their works of art are part of collections of several galleries and some in private collections and depict the beauty of “Podpoľanie” landscape and its people. Since the year 2000 DUK has been organizing symposia in various locations of “Podpoľanie”. They are devoted to creative art work.

DUK was founded in the year 2001 on the agreement of several enthusiastic people on the occasion of 100 anniversary of Painting Colony of Detva. The first general meeting took place during the symposium held from October 7th – 13th, 2002 (on October 10th, 2002). At the symposium participated 27 Slovak artists and three artists from Yugoslavian Kovačica.

The history of DUK is firmly connected with such personalities as Milan Malček (organizer and a devoted supporter of culture in Detva), Alexander Bohó, Marián Vida and Janko Smutný – painters and artists whose genius developed here, in the region of Podpoľanie, even though they now perform around the whole Slovakia. Among other artists that encouraged the foundation of DUK we would like to mention sculptor Marián Drugda – born in Detva, but since then has been living and working in Bratislava, and artist Anna Porubovičová – the author of the graphic layout of the poster of the Folk Festival underneath Poľana in Detva. Lover of art and economist and entrepreuner Jaroslav Macek has helped the DUK to find supporter among entrepreuners in Bratislava and Zvolen and Jaroslav Uhel from Liptovský Mikuláš prepared the basic documents for the Constitution of the Association of DUK.