The Gallery throughout Time

From a Museum to a Gallery, from Pest to Novi Sad, from a treasury of money to a treasury of artworks.

The Gallery of Matica Srpska was founded in 1847 in Pest (today’s Budapest, Hungary) under the auspices of Matica Srpska, the oldest Serbian literary, cultural and scientific institution. Over time, the Gallery grew into a unique national museum establishment, a treasury of national art that was created and developed in a wider geographical area where Serbian citizens lived from the late 16th century to the present. That area was spread out to the borders of the former Austrian and Ottoman Empires.

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GMS | Мисија и визија

Timeline

1826. Основана Матица српска у Пешти.

Left: Foundation document of Matica srpska, 1926
Right: Mór Than, Sava Tekelija, 1861

1826,

Matica Srpska was founded in Pest.

1840,

Sava Tekelija bequeathed his property to Matica Srpska, including family portraits, which directly encouraged the founding of the Museum and its Art Collection.

1847,

at the meeting of Matica Srpska’s Board of Directors, the foundation of the Serbian National Collection (Matica Srpska Museum) was initiated by Teodor Pavlović.

 

1864,

Matica Srpska was relocated from Pest to Novi Sad.

1927,

the 100th anniversary of the foundation of Matica Srpska was marked with two exhibitions: Serbian Art in Vojvodina and The Sixth Yugoslav Art Exhibition.

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Picnic in Garden of Kamenica in the occasion of the opening of the exhibition in 1927

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The Museum of Matica srpska, 1933

1933,

the Matica Srpska Museum was opened to the public by setting up a permanent exhibition and launching exhibition activities.

1947,

the fund of artworks of Matica Srpska acquired the status of a single collection called the Gallery of Matica Srpska, while its other collections were given to the newly founded Vojvodina Museum.

1958,

after the relocation to the building of the former Commodity Exchange in the center of Novi Sad where it is situated to this day, the independent life of the Gallery of Matica Srpska officially started on the 1st of June, with the opening of the Permanent exhibition of the 18th and 19th centuries Art.

1972,

the 125th anniversary of the Gallery of Matica Srpska is marked. The first monograph of the Gallery was published and the busts of Sava Tekelija and Teodor Pavlović were made of cast bronze.

Building of Commodity Exchange that will become the place of the Gallery of Matica srpska in 1958

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Opening Ceremony of the Gallery of Matica srpska, 1958

1990,

the Holy Synod of Bishops of the Serbian Orthodox Church awarded the Gallery with the Order of Saint Sava of the 2nd Class.

1992,

the exhibition Serbian Art of the First Half of the 20th century was opened in the newly renovated exhibition space on the second floor.

1997,

the exhibition Serbian Art of the Second Half of the 20th century and the monographic exhibitions and publications about Uroš Predić and Milenko Šerban were prepared to mark the Gallery’s 150th anniversary.

2001,

the monograph of the Gallery of Matica Srpska was published to mark the 175th anniversary of the foundation of Matica srpska. The Gallery was awarded with the Order of Vuk Karadžić of the 1st Class.

Opening Ceremony of the retrospective exhibition of Uroš Predić, 1997

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Invitation for the opening of the retrospective exhibition of Đorđe Jovanović, 2005

2003,

a retrospective exhibition and a monographic study on Milivoje Nikolajević were arranged.

2005,

a retrospective exhibition and a monographic study on Đorđe Jovanović were arranged.

2006‒2009,

intensive works on the renovation of the interior of the Gallery and the exhibition space were carried out, as well as the setting up of the new Permanent exhibition.

2007,

the Children’s room was opened and the educational program and creative workshops for children were launched.

2014,

the exhibition Matica Srpska from Pest to Novi Sad (1864−2014) was organized to mark the jubilee of „One and the Half Century of Matica Srpska in Serbian Athens“.

The Gallery was the first to win ŽIVA award of the international Organization Forum of Slavic Cultures, for the best Slavic Museum in East Europe.

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Ceremony for the Award ”Živa” in Skopje, 2014

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Opening Ceremony of the Gallery of Matica srpska after the reconstruction of the façade, 2017

2017,

the 170th anniversary of foundation of the Gallery of Matica Srpska was celebrated marking at the same time the completion of its interior design and the facade reconstruction.

On the same occasion, a ceremony at which a specially designed plaque was awarded, was held in the refurbished Hall of Tekelijanum in Budapest.

The Gallery won several awards: October Award of the City of Novi Sad, Archbishop’s Gramata of the Bačka Diocese, and Special Vuk’s Award.

The key role in the creation of what would become the Gallery was played by Sava Tekelija, a great Serbian benefactor and endowment holder, the first lifelong president of Matica Srpska, and Teodor Pavlović, its secretary. Being aware of the importance that culture, and art have in setting up and preserving national identity, both of them worked hard on establishing of The Serbian National Collection, that is, The Matica Srpska Museum. Thanks to the nationally conscious Serbian citizens and their donatives, the gift collection of the Museum was formed and gradually filled up.

The most significant and valuable collection was singled out as the current art collection of the Gallery of Matica Srpska. Despite the turbulent times of the second half of the 19th and the first half of the 20th century, which were marked by historical and political turmoil, social and economic changes, the Gallery has been developed continuously, adapting to the given circumstances. During this period, several key events determined its history:

In 1864, Matica Srpska was relocated from Pest to Novi Sad

In 1933, opening of the Matica Srpska Museum to the public

In 1947, the art collection of Matica Srpska received the status of a special collection called the Gallery of Matica Srpska

In 1958, it was relocated to its present building in the center of Novi Sad, the Gallery of Matica srpska officially began its independent life, with the opening of the First Permanent Display.

Over the next decades, the systematic processing of the collection, its protection, publication and presentation was done through numerous exhibitions in Serbia and abroad, despite the unfavorable political and social reality that marked the last decade of the 20th century. The new millennium brought a new vision, new ideas and guidelines in the direction of development and activities of the Gallery. Keeping up with modern museological trends, the Gallery had been adapted and changed, growing into one of the leading museum establishments in Serbia. Its work and quality are recognized beyond the country’s borders, while the great number of awards and recognitions that the Gallery received in the past two decades, confirm its significance.

The first two decades of the century were marked by modernization and by setting up new standards in the professional work of the Gallery: adaptation of the building and refurbishing of the exhibition space, formation of a new Permanent exhibition, introduction of numerous new programs and editions, all based on different methodological and multidisciplinary approaches. The new display depicts the development and achievements of Serbian art of recent times indicating the position and place of Serbian culture and art in the European context.

The works of art live under the roof of the Gallery. We bring them to life with our knowledge and our activities, so that the audience may experience them and turn every encounter with art into a unique aesthetic, visual and sensual experience.

In the years ahead, we prepare international projects and programs as a part of celebration of the title Novi Sad 2022 ‒ European Capital of Culture, and national projects that celebrate the 175th anniversary of the founding of the Gallery of Matica Srpska.

Franjo Malin, director of the Gallery of Matica Srpska

Milenko Šerban, director of the Gallery of Matica Srpska

Milivoj Nikolajević, director of the Gallery of Matica Srpska 1947–1976

Radivoj Kovačević, acting director of the Gallery of Matica Srpska 1976–1979

Milan Solarov, director of the Gallery of Matica Srpska 1979–1983

Olga Mikić, director of the Gallery of Matica Srpska 1983–1988

Leposava Šelmić, director of the Gallery of Matica Srpska 1988–2001

Branka Kulić, director of the Gallery of Matica Srpska 2001–2009

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