Serbian artistic heritage at Kosovo and Metohija

Gallery of Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts
27.09.2017. to 26.11.2017.
www.sanu.ac.rs

The multimedia exhibition, SERBIAN ARTISTIC HERITAGE IN KOSOVO AND METOHIJA. Identity, significance, vulnerability, comprises two, severally interconnected thematic sections.
The first section is aimed primarily at presenting, through select original works and reproductions, the unique cultural identity of the Serbian artistic and spiritual heritage in Kosovo and Metohija from the 12th to the 20th centuries, which sprung from the broad streams of development of old Serbian art in response to the needs of the state and Church. Particular attention in this respect will be paid to the efforts of Serbian ktetors (endowment founders) and contributors in the creation of the heritage and in the shaping of its identity.
The second section emphasizes the permanent vulnerability and destruction of the heritage exactly because of its clear-cut identity as its most special quality. The long history of destruction and various forms of endangering the Serbian artistic heritage in Kosovo and Metohija to the present day will be presented through compelling evidence.

The main exhibits at the exhibition will be art objects from the collections of the National Museum in Belgrade, the Museum of Applied Arts, the Gallery of Frescoes, the SASA Archives, and the Museum of the Serbian Orthodox Church. During the preparations for the exhibition, thorough conservation and restoration of endangered icons and liturgical vessels was carried out. Given the bad state of repair of some of the exceptionally important works of art, their conservation represents an essential part of the project.

Three publications are being prepared to accompany the exhibition: the catalogue of the exhibition and a collection of papers (both in Serbian and English) and The Church of St. George at Rečani near Suva Reka (with drawings of frescoes and architecture), on the 14th century church, razed to the ground in 1999.

Organizers of the exhibition: Gallery of the Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts, National Museum in Belgrade, and Museum of the Serbian Orthodox Church

Authors of the exhibition: SASA Corresponding Member Miodrag Marković and Prof. Dragan Vojvodić, PhD