Dobrivoje Beljkašic

Dobrivoje Beljkašic was an artist and lecturer from Sarajevo, Bosnia, who lived in Bristol, in the UK since January 1993, until he passed away on March 12th 2015.

Born in 1923 in the town of Vlasenica to his parents Stevan and Draga, Dobrivoje started painting at the age of 16 and then continued studying art both in Paris and Belgrade.

Dobrivoje lived and worked in Sarajevo all his life up until the tragic events of 1992 which forced him to leave. Before he left his home country he had worked as an artist, illustrator, curator at the Art Gallery of Bosnia and Herzegovina, senior lecturer for drawing and painting at the Higher Teacher's Training School, adviser for visual culture and art education at the Institute for Education Development of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina and as an author of several school books for art education.

Dobrivoje took part in many group exhibitions in Yugoslavia and abroad, and had many one-man shows. His life and work were featured in the Encyclopaedia of Fine Arts of Yugoslavia.

His studio, which was situated in the old Town Hall, was completely destroyed, together with a majority of his work, but since arriving in the UK Dobrivoje has kept himself quite busy, inspired greatly by the local landscapes around Avon and Wiltshire, but with the thought of home still strong in his memory.

Dobrivoje's works are in many public and private collections around the world, including the UK, Bosnia and Herzegovina, many other European countries, the USA and Argentina.

Back in July 1993, the committee and members of the Clifton Arts Club in Bristol were kind enough to enrol him as an Honorary Member, and Dobrivoje had been working and exhibiting with them ever since as well as with the Friends of the Royal West of England Academy of Art.

Dobrivoje's wife Gordana passed away in May 2017 and their daughter Dragana still lives in Bristol.