During the preparation for the major temporary 2023 exhibition Maksim Gaspari: Shaping Images of the Nation, we managed to acquire a unique collection of postcards by Maksim Gaspari, which the great connoisseur and renowned collector Marjan Marinšek (1941–2011) was able to amass over several decades. The exhibition displays 367 printed postcards. 

His collection of these is considered to be one of the most complete and extensive in existence, including original autographed postcards, first prints and reprints. It enjoys a great reputation among experts, connoisseurs and collectors. It consists of 59 autographed postcards and 406 printed postcards. 

The 367 printed postcard are displayed into thematic groups: The period up to WWI, War in Images, The May Declaration and the Carinthian plebiscite, New Year cards, Easter cards, Life and annual customs, National and local costumes, Slovenian Mary, Saints, Promotional postcards

The present exhibition is part of the accompanying programme to the exhibition Maksim Gaspari: Shaping Images of the Nation, which has already presented 56 original autographed postcards, ten postcards from the Slovenian National Costumes series, three postcards of Grandfather Frost, and a selection of the extensive Marinšek Collection in electronic form. This exhibition features a choice assortment of all the remaining postcards. It is complemented by a philatelic showcase with stamps and first day envelopes based on Gaspari's works, prepared in cooperation with Pošta Slovenije, the Slovenian post office.

About the collector Marjan Marinšek
Marinšek organised the first exhibition of these as early as 1986, followed by more than 50 exhibitions in Slovenia and among expatriates all over the world. Together with the writer Ivan Sivec, he published their selection in the book Slovenian Folk Tales by Maksim Gaspari in 2007.In his professional career, Marinšek is best remembered as the head of the Ivan Napotnik Cultural Centre in Velenje, and he was also one of the organisers of the Pika Festival. He was an amateur collector, who sought first reader books from all over the world, along with zithers and school supplies, and was also very impressed with Gaspari's postcards.