Exhibition as a biography of the fine arts of Montenegro

An exhibition of Montenegrin fine artists, 20 selected as "pillars on which the art of contemporary Montenegro rests", symbolically named "20 for 20", because it is organized to mark 20 years since the restoration of Montenegro's independence and 55 years since the founding of the Montenegrin Academy of Sciences and Arts (CANU), opened on Thursday evening at the CANU Gallery.

The exhibition presents a carefully selected selection of works by 20 prominent authors: Anka Burić, Đeljoš Đokaj, Miodrag Dado Đurić, Branko Filipović Filo, Dragan Karadžić, Smail Smaj Karail, Petar Lubarda, Milo Milunović, Pavle Pejović, Pero Poček, Dimitrij Popović, Aleksandar Aco Prijić, Vuk Radović, Vojislav Vojo Stanić, Risto Stijović, Luka Tomanović, Jarmila Vešović, Dušan Vukotić Vuda, Mihailo Vukotić i Miloš Vušković.

"These artists are the spiritual representation of the fine arts of the Montenegrin region. Their 20 names are the 20 pillars on which the art of contemporary Montenegro, and the region, rests. Whenever we ask ourselves who we are and what we are like, it is enough to look at their works. In them we will find our courage, our suffering, Mediterranean hard work and our eternal need to reach the future," said the academician. Ljubiša Stanković, the president of CANU who opened the exhibition.

He recalled the occasion and framework of the exhibition - the restoration of Montenegro's independence, emphasizing that CANU has declared the entire year 2026 as an anniversary year, and that it will dedicate all its events and activities to the anniversaries - 20 years since the restoration of Montenegro's independence and 55 years since the founding of the Montenegrin Academy of Sciences and Arts.

"The exhibition we are opening tonight is symbolically called '20 for 20', where 20 of the most prominent visual artists born in Montenegro will present two works each, as selected by the gallery manager, an academician. Pavle Pejović"It is precisely these artists whose works adorn the walls of our gallery tonight who glorified the name and beauty of Montenegro with their works even when it was not visible on maps. With their work in the silence of their studios, they built our inner freedom, proving that the Montenegrin karst is a more fertile ground for genius in fine arts than anyone can imagine. This exhibition is not just a display of paintings and sculptures, but it represents a biography of the fine arts of Montenegro, which we are reading tonight in full, 40 works by 20 exceptional authors," said the President of CANU.

The exhibition selector, academician Pavle Pejović, stated that in this exhibition we encounter the presence of the need to upgrade and recognize the natural relationship of each of the represented artists towards the conscious or intuitive charge that directs them to the realization that through art they will achieve the satisfaction of creating personal freedoms through creative messages.

"These creations are the results of color and voluminous forms plucked from the recognizable wealth that this Mediterranean space of ours offers of harsh beauty and tameness, epic and lyric, the cosmicity of stone and sea open spaces, the tragedy of dying and the joy of birth," he said.

He recalled the course of the past that led to a treasury of great works.

"From bare survival to high cultural heights, we find the roots of art in prehistoric drawings in Lipci in Boka Bay, extraordinary finds from prehistoric tumuli, nuanced messages from stećak tombstones, the titular portrait of King Milutin of Duklja in the Ston Monastery, the timeless fresco "The Raven Feeds Saint Elijah" in the Morača Monastery, decorations and books printed in the Crnojević printing house from the late 15th century, as well as on representative iconostases and frescoes in monasteries throughout Montenegro," Pejović stated.

He pointed out that in the 20th century, there was a significant breakthrough in creativity that can be placed in the context of Montenegrin modern art.

"It should be kept in mind that this was happening at a time of extremely dynamic changes on the European art scene, when fine arts in Montenegro were on the margins of events, neglected even by the larger cultural centers of the former Yugoslav community. Artists born in Montenegro and educated outside of it achieved exceptional achievements that placed them at the very top of Yugoslav fine arts, only to be recognized and claimed by their home environment as accomplished authors. It should be said that this syndrome persists to this day," Pejović pointed out.

Both Stanković and Pejović singled out almost each of the represented artists individually, recalling their character and work, but also their words...

"Culture, and therefore the state, is defended with knowledge, talent and courage. Are we brave enough?" said Pejović at the end.

The exhibition is open to visitors until May 25th, on weekdays from 10 am to 14 pm and from 17 pm to 19 pm.