ATELIER 61 was established in 1961 as an Institution for Tapestry Manufacture. It is a unique institution of culture compared to museum and gallery institutions at the West Balkans and the only one of a complex type in Serbia with its own manufacture (workshop area, gallery, museum collection). It is one of only five similar institutions of culture in Europe (Tapestry Centre “Obison” in France, and “Dovecot” in Edinburgh in Great Britain are the matching institutions to “Atelier 61”).
The founders of “Atelier 61” are textile designer Etelka Tobolka and the famous Serbian painter, tapestry maker and mosaicist Boško Petrović with the support of the City of Novi Sad, which proclaimed “Atelier 61” a cultural institution of special social significance.
At the beginning of the sixties of the 20th century, “Atelier 61” made large-format tapestries based on cardboards (drawings) of the most famous artists of Yugoslav and Serbian modernism and contemporary art: Stojan Ćelić, Jagoda Buić, Lazar Vujaklija, Milan Konjović, Sava Šumanović, Ilija Bosilj, Mladen Srbinović, Boško Karanović, Ankica Oprešnik,…
With the first exhibitions in the country and abroad, the tapestries of “Atelier 61” gained high recognitions, which put the production of “Atelier 61” and the institution itself on the map of cultural institutions of great value and quality work.
During the 60-year history of “Atelier 61”, in co-operation with over 300 artists, about 900 tapestries were woven. “Atelier 61” has a National Collection of Tapestries, which is considered one of the largest collections in this area.
Within the institution, in addition to programmes such as the International Tapestry Triennial and the International Tapestry Colony “Boško Petrović”, it is possible to attend the famous weaving school, which approaches weaving as profession from the position of the old craft, as our grandmothers and mothers did in the past.
The visitors of Petrovaradin Fortress can visit “Atelier 61“, attend the process of tapestry creating, and see a part of the National Collection of Tapestries of Serbia every working day from 09.00 a.m. to 02.00 p.m.
Contact for announcements of group visits: Phone +381 21 6431519, Email – atelje61@mts.rs, www.atelje61.org.rs