Muzej je utemeljen 21. prosinca 1954. kada je odlukom tadašnjega Narodnog odbora grada Zagreba osnovana Gradska galerija suvremene umjetnosti s ciljem da slijedi, dokumentira i promovira događanja, stilove i pojave u suvremenoj umjetnosti. Galerija je odmah započela stvarati fundus i djelovati kao muzejska ustanova po suvremenim muzeološkim principima i potrebama toga vremena.
Muzej suvremene umjetnosti je današnji naziv za Galerije grada Zagreba koje su se sastojale od Galerije suvremene umjetnosti, Centra za fotografiju, film i televiziju, Zbirke Benko Horvat te Odjela knjižnice i dokumentacije, a u istom su sklopu, do osamostaljivanja, djelovali Atelijer Meštrović (danas Fundacija Meštrović), Galerija primitivne umjetnosti (Hrvatski muzej naivne umjetnosti) i Zbirka »Jozo Kljaković« (danas pod upravom Centra za likovni odgoj).
Muzej je djelovao na dvije gornjogradske adrese: na Katarininom trgu 2, u baroknoj palači grofa Kulmera u kojoj se nalazio izložbeni prostor, te u Habdelićevoj ulici 2, gdje je knjižnica, dokumentacijski arhiv i uprava.
Najveći dio zbirke Muzeja suvremene umjetnosti sastoji se od djela hrvatskih i inozemnih autora nastalih nakon 1950. godine. Muzej također čuva donacije Gradu Zagrebu kao što su heterogena umjetnička Zbirka Benko Horvat; opus arhitekta, urbanista i slikara Josipa Seissela zaokružen u Donaciji Silvane Seissel te posebnu zbirku arhitekta Vjenceslava Richtera zajedno s kućom u kojoj je živio i radio. Godine 2006. Muzeju se priključuje Arhiv Toše Dabca, dok posljednju veliku i zaokruženu akviziciju predstavlja Atelier Kožarić.
izvor:
tekst i fotografije preuzeti uz odobrenje s web stranice http://www.msu.hr/
The Museum was established on 21 December 1954, when the National Council of the City of Zagreb issued a decree on founding the Municipal Gallery of Contemporary Art, with the task of researching, documenting, and promoting events, styles, and phenomena in contemporary art. The Gallery immediately set about building up its permanent collection and functioning as a museum, according to the museological regulations and needs of the time.
The Museum of Contemporary Art is the present-day name for Zagreb Municipal Galleries, which formerly consisted of the Contemporary Art Gallery, the Centre for Photography, Film, and Television, and the Benko Horvat Collection, Library, and Documentation Department. Prior to its separation, the institution also included Atelier Meštrović (today's Meštrović Foundation), the Primitive Art Gallery (Croatian Museum of Naive Art), and the "Jozo Kljaković" Collection (now managed by Centre for Visual Art Education).
The Museum was situated in the Upper Town of Zagreb, with two different addresses: the exhibition venue was located at St Catherine Square No. 2, in Count Kulmer's baroque palace, while the library, documentation archive, and management was located at Habdelićeva Street No. 2. Most of the Museum's collection consists of Croatian and international artists who were active after 1950. It also includes various donations made to the City of Zagreb, such as the heterogeneous art collection of Benko Horvat, the opus of architect, urban planner, and painter Josip Seissel, organized in the Silvana Seissel Donation, and the special collection of architect Vjenceslav Richter, together with the house in which he lived and worked. In 2006, the Museum came into possession of the Tošo Dabac Archive, and its latest comprehensive acquisition has been that of Atelier Kožarić.
Source:
Text and images are used with permission from the web site http://www.msu.hr/
