June 1 – September 15, 2023, Matica srpska Gallery, Trg galerija 1, Novi Sad
Antoni Gaudí, Le Corbusier, and Frank Lloyd Wright entered the world history of architecture, while the impact of Dragiša Brašovan stands out in Serbian national architecture. Our premises can be proud of significant buildings of this architect, especially Novi Sad, which is recognizable by the Banovine complex, the Palace of the Chamber of Commerce, and the Main Post Office. By designing these buildings, he left an indelible mark on the city’s appearance.
On the occasion of celebrating two jubilees: 175 years since the foundation and 65 years since transferring to the building of the former Product Exchange, Matica Srpska Gallery opens the exhibition Gift Collection of Dragiša Brašovan on Thursday, June 1 at 8:00 p.m. At the exhibition opening, Dr. Tijana Palkovljević Bugarski, Director of Matica Srpska Gallery, Prof. Dr. Dubravka Đukanović, Director of the Republic Institute for the Protection of Monuments of Culture, and Dragana Milošević, the Provincial Secretary for Culture, Public Information, and Relations with Religious Communities, will present to the visitors.
The exhibition Gift Collection of Dragiša Brašovan presents over 100 exhibits – paintings, sculptures, drawings, period furniture, works of applied art, and documentary material that the representatives of this famous Serbian architect, his wife Viktorija Brašovan and daughter Olga Kovačev, donated to the Gallery in the period from 2020 to beginning of 2023. For the first time, the public will have the opportunity to view objects and works that give insight into the architect’s private life and contribute to a better understanding of his character and work.
The exhibition offers visitors a completely different perspective on Brašovan as a husband, stepfather, esthete, art lover, and friend. All these exhibits, which were part of the house’s interior in Strahinjića bana Street in Belgrade, uniquely speak volumes about the taste and determination of the famous architect, as well as about his family life. “He buys old furniture, refurbishes it, polishes it, sells it, and buys a new one. He does all this with true enjoyment, and in all of his endeavours, there is somewhat naive, somewhat childish enjoyment of life.” – wrote the prominent architectural historian Zoran Manević about Brašovan. His home became an integral part of the Gallery’s salons and corridors and, therefore, an inseparable part of the museum’s identity.
The exhibition accompanies a bilingual catalogue with texts by architect Dr. Darko Polić, curator Ivana Janjić, a documentary film by Radio-television Vojvodina, and a virtual 3D reconstruction of the space where Dragiša Brašovan lived, realized by conservator MSc. Snežana Mijić. During the exhibition, the audience will have the opportunity to learn about the life and work of Dragiša Brašovan and the architecture of the 20th century through the accompanying program in the form of expert curatorial guidance, lectures, and film screenings.
The realization of the project was made possible by the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Serbia, the Provincial Secretariat for Culture, Public Information and Relations with Religious Communities, the City Administration for Culture, Novi Sad, OTP Bank Serbia, and Winery Deurić.
Media partners of the exhibition are JMU Radio-television of Vojvodina, Radio 021, Naxi Planeta radio, Radio Beseda, Color Press Group, and Ringier Serbia doo – Blic.
