Pilon Gallery

The birth house of Veno Pilon, painter, graphic artist, and photographer: one of the most important Slovenian artists, representing European Expressionism and New Reality.

In the historic old town of Ajdovščina, one cannot miss the renowned blue-and-yellow building in which Veno Pilon (1896–1970) was born. Pilon was a painter, printmaker, and photographer, an important Slovenian visual artist and one of the more prominent representatives of European Expressionism and New Objectivity. Since 1973, the building has housed the Pilon Gallery.

The gallery was established from the legacy of the Ajdovščina-born artist and is the first monographic gallery in Slovenia founded on an artist’s estate. At the same time, it represents an important addition to the national museum and gallery network and strengthens cultural ties between the Primorska region and the Slovenian communities across the border. As a significant source of art-historical and cultural-historical research, it holds the status of an authorized museum.

The gallery’s architectural design, conceived with great respect for the artist’s legacy, was created by the Ajdovščina architect Svetozar Križaj (1921–1996), who received the Plečnik Award for this work in 1976. Between 2023 and 2025, the gallery underwent extensive renovation and expansion through the integration of the neighboring Rustja House, gaining new exhibition spaces and storage facilities.

The permanent collection of works by Veno Pilon comprises drawings, paintings, prints, sculptures, and photographs, as well as documentary materials and personal objects, offering insight into a reconstructed version of the artist’s studio. The Collection of Works by Pilon’s Friends has also been given a permanent place within the gallery. In addition, the gallery hosts temporary exhibitions by local, Slovenian, and international artists and is home to a rich specialist library.

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