RÉSUMÉ OF A BUILDING The site of today’s National Museum was previously occupied by the famous Bohemian tavern “Dardaneli”. Its demolition marked the start of the transformation of Republic Square. There, in 1903 emerged the magnificent building of the Fund Administration, which was later occupied by Hipotekarna Ban- ka, and the National Museum, in 1952, leaving behind its old name of ‘Muzeum serbski’ from 1844. According to the design of awarded architects Andre Stevanović and Nikola Nestorović, this was the first time that a certain form of reinforced concrete had been used for the base of the foundations, which was nec- essary when the builders came across the remains of the for- mer Stambol Gate. The building itself was a genuine palace of its time, with elements of neo-Renaissance and neo-baroque on the domes. In terms of the collection, the museum has re- located several times since it was established, only to settle at the location where it has been since 1952. Due to its architec- tural-historical and cultural value, the building of the Nation- al Museum has been declared a cultural asset of great impor- tance to the Republic of Serbia.
Glava Konstantina Velikog Bust of Constantine the Great
Praroditeljka, Lepenski Vir
From the more recent national works, it is worth highlighting the paintings of Paja Jovanović, Nadežda Petrović and Sava Šu- manović. If we are to look westwards, the Museum offers works by old Italian masters (di Credi, Canaletto, Guardi) or the ingen- ious creators of Dutch art (with works by Bruegel and Rubens, as well as individual works by Thorop, Van Gogh and Mondrian). The National Museum preserves works of French fine art from the late 19th and ear- ly 20th centuries Corot, Daumier, Pissarro, Renoir, Sisley, Gauguin), while the story of modern art is completed with works by Pi- casso, Archipenko, Kandinsky and Chagall. - It is immeasurably pleasing that the National Museum will once again be a place that will complete the impressions of peo- ple visiting Serbia and Belgrade. We rejoice in the fact that it will again be a place that will nurture and produce new memories, and that will actively endure as a true sym- bol of Serbian culture, says our interlocutor. That’s why the reopening of the Na- tional Museum is seen as the most signif- icant event in the cultural life of citizens this year, with all ceremonies to be held in front of the museum building, at the very centre of the capital, during a six-day grand opening ceremony. This event is as- sessed as a “turning point for culture”, or a return to the former positive state of af- fairs, when Belgraders and other Serbian citizens, as well as guests visiting the Ser- bian capital, could spend six days a week (except Mondays) exploring the magical world of art.
Progenitor,
Lepenski Vir
Zlatna maska iz Trebeništa Gold mask from Trebenište
Meštrovićeve Karijatide na ulazu u Narodni muzej
Meštrović’s
Caryatid (Dalmatian Woman),
at the entrance to the National Museum
and to life in this region, to culture and the changes brought by the times, as well as to the outstanding artistic reach of both renowned and unremembered artists, the National Museum explains. An example of the latter is the magnificent“Woman with a veil”, by an unknown author who master- fully depicts the light fall of fabric in stone and who, despite the obvious craftsman- ship and artistic perfection, has remained anonymous in history. It is difficult to choose the best of these 400,000 cultural treasures, which is why we asked museum experts what they would recommend to us.
- We would highlight the sculptures from Lepenski Vir (7th millennium BC), they say, referring to the adorable fishmen fig- urines, among others. - You also shouldn’t overlook the Vinča statues (6 th -5 th millen- nium BC), nor the Duplje chariot (16 th -13 th century BC), the golden masks from Trebe- nište (6 th century BC), artefacts from Jabuč- je (6 th century BC), the Belgrade Cameo (4 th century), Miroslav’s Gospel (12 th century), the coins of King Radoslav (13 th century). You shouldn’t skip the medieval icons and replica frescoes, nor the bowl from Vrace- všnica (17 th century) ... - says the director of this museum.
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