About 1.300 museum objects are missing from the Nikšić Public Institution "Museums and Galleries", and even human bones were found in the attic of the museum.
This was said at the first special session of the Municipal Assembly of Nikšić, the director of that institution, Vesna Todorović, in response to councilor questions from councilor Ksenija Milović.
Todorović spoke about the missing museum exhibits for "Vijesti" back in May of this year, when she pointed out that the audit that was done in 2022, and the curators submitted the report at the beginning of 2023, confirmed the report of previous audits and showed that the institution has an enviable museum material, but also that a good part of it is missing, as well as that previous audits, starting in 2005 and onward, showed that the mentioned material was missing.
As she said during the session, the JU "Museums and Galleries" (previously it was the Culture Center) had been neglected for decades.
"During the transfer to the depot, when the conservation and restoration of the Castle museum began, we found human bones in the attic. There are three or four human skeletons about which there was no information. It is also an indicator of how people treated something that is human bone, which is sacred. I wrote a letter to the Municipality and asked that the bones be buried. In the meantime, we informed the police, an analysis was carried out. Generally, the bones are buried further. "There was probably some research and someone, let me say, behaved irresponsibly and carelessly with the human bones," Todorović pointed out.
As Todorović told "Vijesta" in May, and repeated at the session, today the museum collections number 10.522 museum objects entered in the books, that about 1.300 of them are missing, and that the numismatic collection, which numbered more than 930 museum objects, suffered the most, while the current audit found that there are about 195 of them.
"Her current numerical condition is the result of three burglaries that took place in 1988, 2005 and 2007. In that number of alienated objects, there is also a box with gold coins made by King Nikola when he declared Montenegro a Kingdom. Every theft was reported to the police, and the perpetrators were never found. The Berat Tsar's decree from 1638 is also missing. It was speculated that it might not be the original but a copy, although the price that the forgery was paid for back in 1952 when it was purchased from Petar Niković for 15.000 dinars would have been enormous," said Todorović.
A part of the art collection that "Monteks" entrusted to the city for safekeeping was alienated, where 34 works are missing.
The difference compared to the previous audits is that they managed to find the catalog when organizing the exhibition "Monteks' donation of Nikšić" in 1995.
"In that catalog there is a note that 'Montex' and its president, Stanislav Ćano Koprivica, decided to donate the collection to Nikšić, that is, to the Museum for safekeeping and display. There are 75 works of art by 60 artists, of which four are sculptures and 71 are paintings. In the 2017 audit of the gallery fund, 46 works were recorded as part of the donation, however, 17 recorded works are not in this catalog. Out of the total number of papers, out of 75, we have 41 papers, and for the remaining 34 papers, we do not have any information on their whereabouts," Todorović told "Vijesta" at the time.
The situation is similar with Ilija Šobajić's collection - out of 1.160 works and personal items, 235 are missing.
"The inventory book has been kept since 1950. The works of Ilija Šobajić entered the Museum fund in the following way - in 1953, 19 works were bought from Natalija Šobajić, three were her gift, and in the same year, one work was donated by Jovan Ivović. Two years later, 1.034 works and objects were donated by Milica Miladinović from Belgrade, while in 1956, 15 works were bought from Dušan Trojanović from Belgrade. In 1958, Trojanović donated 88 works and objects. Of all that, 235 works and personal items of Ilija Šobajić that went through the books and were registered are missing. About one hundred documents that were in our Museum were handed over to the Archive when it was founded, because then the decision was made that the drawings and art material should remain with us, and that the archival documentation should be given to the Archive", the director of the JU "Museums and Galleries" told "Vijesta" ".
The natural history collection in the Museum almost does not exist today.
"The fact is that the objects did not receive the treatment that cultural heritage deserves and that society as a whole was quite disinterested in the museum activity and the work of this institution," she said at yesterday's session.
According to her, the attitude towards works of art in the previous period can best be seen from the attitude towards the Stone City of Ratko Vulanović, which was removed, and which the expert service of UNESCO estimated to be worth 22 million euros.
"He was overthrown, who overthrew him and why that is a question that needs to be discussed and at the end of the day repent for all that was not good," said Todorović.
Councilor Ksenija Milović said that this kind of treatment of culture often calls into question the possibility of dealing with it and suggested that the councilors come to an agreement and file a criminal complaint because of everything that happened in museums and galleries.
The President of the Municipal Assembly, Nemanja Vuković, pointed out that he will take this responsibility upon himself and that he will invite the councilors to sign the criminal complaint so that they can submit it together.
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