Best works of art of the Vienna Belvedere Gallery for the first time in Serbia
On Thursday, November 18, 2021, a press conference was held in the Gallery of Matica Srpska regarding the cooperation and partnership between UNIQA osiguranje and the Gallery of Matica Srpska on the organization of the exhibition “Life-Dream-Death. European frameworks of Serbian symbolism”.
As part of the exhibition, which brought together 77 works by leading artists of European and Serbian symbolism from domestic and European museums and private collections, UNIQA ensured that works from the famous Belvedere Gallery in Vienna were presented for the first time in Serbia. Also, thanks to the support of UNIQA osiguranje, a virtual exhibition was set up, which enabled art lovers from all over the world to see masterpieces of Serbian and European cultural heritage.
The present media representatives were addressed by Dr Tijana Palkovljević Bugarski, Director of the Gallery of Matica Srpska, underlining that “The richness and diversity of exhibition programs, commitment to the preservation and presentation of cultural heritage in accordance with current trends in the museum profession, has contributed to us having the Gallery of Matica Srpska expanding its partnership with the business sector from one project to another. We are glad that we were able to establish cooperation with UNIQA Osiguranje through the organization of the exhibition “Life-Dream-Death. European frameworks of Serbian symbolism”. Through the exchange of knowledge and by permeating activities, we managed to take a look at and present the features of Serbian symbolism and connect it with European examples. Thanks to this partnership, the audience has the opportunity to see for the first time the works of European greats of symbolism in dialogue with domestic artists, which provided a unique opportunity to see a broader image of symbolism. By working together, we have made not only a national but also a great international step forward.”
Whereas Sonja Marić, Brand and Communications Director at Uniqa Osiguranje, stated that: “Art and insurance are connected by an unbreakable thread because for us, to insure means to preserve. UNIQA osiguranje social responsibility is reflected in its commitment to preserving priceless works of art for future generations. With decades of experience in art insurance around the world, UNIQA ensured the art lovers in Serbia see for the first time five works of exceptional value from the magnificent collection of the Belvedere Gallery. A special impression is a virtual exhibition that will enable the unique exhibition at the Gallery of Matica Srpska to go out into the world, so that the magnificent all-time works of art of European symbolism, gathered in one place for the first time, are seen by art lovers from all meridians. We are proud to crown our years of support for culture in Serbia with the opening of a new chapter, together with the Gallery of Matica Srpska and the Belvedere Gallery in Vienna, the home of UNIQA osiguranje, whose clients are the most famous museums, galleries, auction houses and private collectors around the world.”
During the exhibition, in the Gallery of Matica Srpska, but also in the virtual space, in addition to the works of art of leading representatives of European symbolism from the Belvedere Gallery in Vienna, such as Franz Stuck, Adolf Hiremi-Hirschl, Ludwig von Hoffmann, Rudolf Jettmar and Eduard Weit, the audience will have the opportunity to get to know the representative works of national artists from other museums and private collections.
Thanks to a large number of exhibited works of art, it was possible to see the works of European and national artists in parallel, and thus once again confirm that Serbian fine arts are an integral part of European art and culture. Through nine volumes, Life and Death, The Secret World of Dreams, Self-Reconsideration, Individual Religion and New Spirituality, In Search of a Myth, Pantheistic Vision of the World, Femme Fatal, Universal Suffering and National Mythology, a statement was made on the key thematic determinations and artistic achievements of Serbian symbolism in the European context.
The exhibition “Life-Dream-Death. European frameworks of Serbian symbolism” was organized in cooperation with the two oldest national museum institutions – the Gallery of Matica Srpska and the National Museum in Belgrade. By combining their scientific knowledge and museum experiences, the exhibition and the catalogue of the same name that accompanies the exhibition were designed and prepared by Dr Snezana Mišić, museum advisor of the Gallery of Matica Srpska and Dr Igor Borozan, professor at the Department of Art History at the Faculty of Philosophy, University of Belgrade.
The exhibition is open until January 31, 2022, and you can take the virtual tour on the website of the Gallery of Matica Srpska at www.galerijamaticesrpske.rs.