The Art Collection of Matica Srpska
In the year when Matica Srpska, the oldest literary, cultural, and scientific society among the Serbs, celebrates the great jubilee of two centuries since its founding, the Gallery of Matica Srpska is organising the exhibition The Art Collection of Matica Srpska, dedicated to presenting a unique artistic collection that has been continuously formed from 1826 to the present day. This exhibition, through its carefully selected artworks, represents the complex history and exceptional value of the art collection of Matica Srpska, which developed alongside the institution itself and its enduring mission – care for the culture, language, literature, artistic creativity, and science of the Serbian people.
Simultaneously, with its programme and research activities, Matica Srpska began systematically collecting portraits of its founders, presidents, secretaries, honorary members, and benefactors, as well as distinguished public figures, with the clear idea of forming a Pantheon of Distinguished Serbs. In addition to the portraits, the art collection also includes numerous medals, plaques, diplomas, and decorations that Matica Srpska has commissioned and received over two centuries of its existence, on the occasions of important anniversaries and recognitions for its contributions to the development of Serbian culture and society. A significant part of the exhibition consists of a selection of the most important gifts and bequests that Matica Srpska received after the Second World War, including donations from Lazar and Saveta Stojković, Olga and Kosta Milutinović, Sofija Šaškijević, as well as Suzana and Borivoj Samolovčev.
In the rooms of the Gallery of Matica Srpska, selected works from the Matica Srpska Collection will be presented, while part of the collection housed in the Matica Srpska building will be accessible to the public through new technologies and multimedia content. The exhibition is accompanied by a documentary film produced by the Gallery of Matica Srpska, directed and written by Miroslav Stajić.
The exhibition will be enriched by a diverse accompanying programme on Fridays at 19.00, as well as curator-guided tours on weekends at 13.00 and 17.00. A family guide for parents with children will also accompany the exhibition, in order to introduce even the youngest visitors to the importance and role of Matica Srpska.
Venue: Gallery of Matica Srpska
The programme can be found on the organiser’s website: www.galerijamaticesrpske.rs
