Dobri100 Sarajevo Bristol 2023
26 October - 9 November 2023
National Gallery of Bosnia and Herzegovina, ground floor gallery
Senior Curator: Dragana Brkic-Hodak
Education lead: Aida Šarac-Berbic
External collaborator and initiator: Dragana Smart
The year 2023 marks two important anniversaries for the cultural heritage of Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is the 31st anniversary of the destruction of Vijecnica, that housed the National Library, and the 100th anniversary of the birth of Dobrivoje Beljkašic, a renowned artist and proponent of visual art education. These two anniversaries are inextricably connected. Beljkaši?'s studio, which was on the top floor of Vijecnica, went up in flames, destroying most of his life's work at the point when he was preparing a major retrospective to mark 40 years of his artistic career. In a unique collaboration the National Gallery of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the City Museum of Sarajevo and Beljkašic's only daughter, Dragana Smart, are bringing together an exhibition to mark 100th anniversary of his birth, highlighting his contribution to the cultural heritage of his home country.
Dobri100 Bristol Sarajevo: About the project
This project is to celebrate Dobrivoje’s life and work, marking the 100th anniversary of his birth. Dobri dedicated his life to art and art education and because of that the ‘Dobri100 Bristol Sarajevo’ project will be a unique collaboration between the National Gallery of Bosnia and Herzegovina, City Museum of Sarajevo, the artist's daughter Dragana Smart, Bridging Histories, a social justice education project based in Bristol and other partners.
The exhibition that marks 100th anniversary of Dobri's birth will be held between 26 October and 9 November at the National Gallery of Bosnia and Herzegovina in Sarajevo. This will include some never-seen-before artworks, alongside others held in the museum and private collections. Dobri's bequest of several works for the permanent collections of the National Gallery of Bosnia and Herzegovina and Museum of Sarajevo will also be exhibited.
A programme of educational activities in Sarajevo and Bristol will also accompany the exhibition, which are planned for the winter of 2023 and the spring of 2024. These include talks, gallery tours and workshops for primary and secondary schools, young adults with special needs and for third age groups.
In the 100th anniversary year we will be launching a range of high-quality limited edition giclée prints of carefully selected images of Beljaksic's work. Each edition will be limited to 100 prints to echo this big anniversary. Printed on museum quality paper, each A3 giclée print will come with a certificate of authenticity. These prints will be available via the Fundsurfer page here.
How you can help
The project will cost £10,903 (30530 KM) and we are delighted that we have already received pledges amounting to 74% of the funds needed but we still need to raise another £2800. You can support us by visiting the Fundsurfer page here and by:
- giving a donation of your choice for no reward. Every little helps (e.g. a donation of £15 will cover the costs of workshop materials; a donation of £20 will go towards school bus transport).
- selecting a giclée print as a reward (this donation will go towards the costs of teacher packs; framing, the production of the information panels, catalogue etc.)
If you have any questions, please email us at Dobri100sjj@gmail.com.
All funds raised through Fundsurfer will be used to cover the cost of the Dobri100 project. Any remaining funds will be donated to the National Gallery of Bosnia & Herzegovina and to arts education projects in Sarajevo and Bristol.
