VISUAL ART COLLECTIONS

The Visual Art Collection of the Historical Museum of Serbia includes heterogeneous works of art, which, apart from their values for art history, have certain documentary importance. The collection’s history and development is not difficult to trace, particularly for the fact that the Museum is one of the youngest museums in Belgrade, established in 1963, when the former Museum of the First Serbian Uprising was incorporated into it.

According to the Museum’s agreement of establishment, the collection was envisaged to be an artistic one, with preferences for the 19^th and 20^th centuries. Its prime task is not only to illustrate and represent artistically all prominent individuals and historical events of Serbian history but also to present the activities of all segments of Serbian society (social trends, political and economical development, development of science, as well as all progressive and revolutionary trends), however with slight inclination to follow the development of Serbian art as art museums do.

At the moment when the Historical Museum was established, the Museum of the First Serbian Uprising had in its possession only few objects of art, including several paintings, reliefs and sculptures. Thus the art collection had to start over and during its almost half of a century long history it collected over 2000 works of art. However, deeper insight into the collection’s history reveals a lack of possibility to establish different art collections, what resulted in heterogeneous artistic fund covering different techniques: oils, watercolors, drawings, graphics and reproductions. Artistically, these works of art almost entirely reflect each and every trend in art of the 19^th and early 20^th century.

Карађорђе Петровић

Арсеније Петровић

Никола из Зеока

Непознати аутор

Кнез Милош Обреновић

Урош Кнежевић

Прота Матеја Ненадовић

Јоханес Бес (?)

                               Крста Цветковић

                               Ника Миљан

Despite the fact that Historical Museum is primarily focused on preservation of national art tradition, the collection includes the works both of domestic and foreign artists, who lived and worked on the Serbian territory, portrayed the members of Serbian ruling houses as well as other prominent individuals. 

Thematically, historical portrays and historical compositions dominate over the art collection, in a certain way subliming distinctive periods of the past as well as of the events.

Some of these portrays were painted after the model, while the others were made after the photographs, literature and other written records; some of them represent the author’s perception, often inspired by the importance and respect for particular individual. Portrays worth to mention are those of Karadjordje Petrovic, Milos Obrenovic, Prince Alexander Karadjordjevic, King Alexander Obrenovic, King Alexander Karadjordjevic, and Josip Broz Tito.

Historical compositions may also have a documentary value (if they are painted by participants or contemporaries of certain event), but most often they have pronounced illustrative qualities intensified by artistic value of the work.

Among such compositions worth of attention are The Battle of Ravanj, painted by Mladen Josic; The Battle of Cegar, by Boza Ilic, the Meeting at Orasac, by Veljko Stanojevic; The Battle of Ivankovac and The Battle of Deligrad, by Olja Ivanjicki; The Battle of Misar, by Afanasij Seloumov; The Armed Uprising in Serbia on July 7, by Mica Popovic, etc.

Apart from these two categories (portrays and historical compositions), the collection also includes a series of most various works of art, which not only depict life of the Serbian people but also reveal information related to different aspect of human life. This segment of the collection comprises, among the others, the following works: A woman spinner, by Djordje Krstic, Female portrait under the veil, by Marko Murat, A peasant, by Steva Aleksic, A town on the south of Serbia, by Beta Vukanovic, etc.

Збор у Орашцу

Вељко Станојевић

Бој на Равњу

Младен Јосић

Distinctive part of the collection includes caricatures, among which Pjer Krizanic made the most interesting. However, of particular importance are caricatures made in POW camps as well as those dealing with the Second World War and German propaganda, but their number is rather insignificant.

Another distinctive part of the collection comprises the works made in POW and concentration camps during the Second World War. A mark of camp’s censorship makes them the first class records. Among numerous artists who worked in the camps, the works of Dusan Vlajic, Milos Bajic, Bozidar Obradovic, Brana Mirkovic, Predrag Stevanovic, and Stasa Belozanski are within the Museum’s Art collection.

Finally, the collection includes a significant number of graphics, drawings and watercolors.

Расцветало дрво

Коста Миличевић