National Museum Belgrade – Yugoslav 20th Century Art (part 1)
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National Museum Belgrade – Yugoslav 20th Century Art (part 1)

I first visited the newly restored National Museum in Belgrade in November 2018. Afterwards, I published four posts and presented four important parts of its collection: Medieval Art, Serbian 19th Century Painting, International Collection and Impressionists. Surely, all of them are truly impressive. But, there is one more important part in the museum. I am talking about the Yugoslav 20th century art.

So, I went back to the museum during my latest visit to Belgrade. This time, my objective was the Yugoslav art and artists. This particular collection is big and it requires a bit more time and proper attention. Frankly speaking, my knowledge of the Yugoslav 20th century art is not as strong as it is on the Serbian medieval art or the Italian Renaissance for example.

I took a lot of photos and I will present them in two separate posts. Otherwise, one post would be too long. Additionally, I was initially thinking to only present paintings that I like the most, which would’ve been sufficient for one post. But, I decided to present all of them in two separate posts, because it means that I will always be able to come back to them in the future.

In other words, I will always be able to easily see all paintings again. I also hope that these presentations will benefit people who would like to see examples of the Yugoslav 20th century art, but can’t or don’t want to travel to Belgrade for that reason.

I’ve already written extensively about the National Museum, so I am not going to repeat any of that again. You can visit my previous articles to find out more about the museum, its history and the permanent collection.

This and the next post are virtual tours of this fascinating part of the museum.

 

Yugoslav 20th Century Art
Spring – Marko Murat (1894)

 

 

Yugoslav 20th Century Art
Self-portrait – Nadežda Petrović (1907)

 

 

Yugoslav 20th century art
A Woman with an Umbrella – Nadežda Petrović (1907)

 

 

Yugoslav 20th Century Art
Barges on Sava – Nadežda Petrović (1907)

 

 

Yugoslav 20th Century Art
Resnik – Nadežda Petrović (1904)

 

 

Yugoslav 20th Century Art
Shepherd – Nadežda Petrović (1912)

 

 

Yugoslav 20th Century Art
Kosovo Peonies – Nadežda Petrović (1913)

 

 

Yugoslav 20th Century Art
In the Field – Ivan Grohar (c. 1904)

 

 

Yugoslav 20th Century Art
Spring – Leon Koen (c.1902)

 

The collection of the 20th century Serbian and Yugoslav paintings contains approximately 3000 paintings and aquarelles, created between 1889 and 1999.

 

Yugoslav 20th Century Art
Seaside Landscape – Mališa Glišić (1911)

 

 

Yugoslav 20th Century Art
Nude (A Slender Body) – Branko Popović (1912)

 

 

Yugoslav 20th Century Art
Self-portrait – Branko Popović (1912)

 

 

Yugoslav 20th Century Art
Self-portrait with Japanese Dolls – Moša Pijade (1916)

 

From 1936 until 1940, the state systematically obtained works of authors from all areas of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia, during Belgrade exhibitions.

 

Yugoslav 20th Century Art
Summer Day – Beta Vukanović (1919)

 

Additionally, ministries and state institutions donated valuable paintings to the museum after the Second World War.

 

Yugoslav 20th Century Art
Sorrow – Miloš Golubović (1919)

 

Apart from regular acquisitions, the collection has also gradually enlarged through gifts by authors, as well as through legacies.

 

Yugoslav 20th Century Art
A Female Portrait – Vasa Pomorišac (1926)

 

 

Yugoslav 20th Century Art
Labourers – Tone Kralj (1925)

 

 

Yugoslav 20th Century Art
Lovers in a Landscape – Jovan Bijelić (1921)

 

 

Yugoslav 20th Century Art
Parisian Suburbs – Sava Šumanović (1921)

 

 

Yugoslav 20th Century Art
Bridge and a City – Sava Šumanović (1921)

 

The National Museum has been also acquiring paintings from authors that started their careers after the Second World War. The aim is to represent their opuses and artistic endeavours within the most recent epoch.

 

Yugoslav 20th Century Art
Shepherdess – Sava Šumanović (1924)

 

 

Yugoslav 20th Century Art
White Vase – Sava Šumanović (1926)

 

 

Yugoslav 20th Century Art
Worker – Marijan Trepše (1928)

 

 

Yugoslav 20th Century Art
Two Nudes – Ivan Radović (1923)

 

 

Yugoslav 20th Century Art
Little Dubravka – Jovan Bijelić (1928)

 

 

Yugoslav 20th Century Art
Harbour in Nice – Veljko Stanojević (1923)

 

 

Yugoslav 20th Century Art
Portrait of a Woman in Green – Veljko Stanojević (1924)

 

 

Yugoslav 20th Century Art
An American Woman – Vilko Gecan (1928)

 

The collection contains masterpieces of the most prominent artists of Yugoslavia, from Yugoslav Impressionist through artists influenced by diverse European art movements, to the contemporary artists.

 

Yugoslav 20th Century Art
Interior – Marino Tartalja (1928)

 

 

Yugoslav 20th Century Art
A Bridge over the Seine (Under the Bridge) – Sava Šumanović (1929)

 

 

Yugoslav 20th century art
The Red Carpet – Sava Šumanović (1929)

 

 

Yugoslav 20th Century Art
Still Life with a Parrot – Jovan Bijelić (c.1930)

 

 

Yugoslav 20th Century Art
Grape Stomping – Ignjat Job (1930/1931)

 

 

Yugoslav 20th Century Art
A Group (Family) – Marko Čelebonović (1931)

 

Certainly, all these paintings are truly impressive. Also, I would like to learn more about the painters, especially about those ones that are considered the most important for the history and development of the Yugoslav 20th century art.

At least, this post is a very good start!

 

 

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02 Comments

  1. gordana Balk-Moller

    i would like to know about the portrait of Miroslav Spalajkovic by Leon Krall

    October 26, 2021 Reply
    • Vitko Ignjatovic

      Hello, I have just double checked both posts on the Yugoslav 20th century art that I published, but I can’t find any reference to the painting that you mention. I don’t think that it’s in the museum in Belgrade, although I may have missed it. Certainly, what I presented is not everything that you can see in the National Museum.
      Regards

      October 27, 2021 Reply

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