20.12.2023.
Exhibition honouring 70th anniversary of Central Military Club’s Gallery opens
The opening ceremony of the exhibition “Seven Decades of Dedication – the Central Military Club’s Gallery 1953-2023”, honouring the Gallery’s 70th anniversary, was held tonight at the Central Military Club’s Grand Gallery in Belgrade.
The event was attended by State Secretary at the Ministry of Defence Nemanja Starović, Head of the Defence Minister’s Private Office, Brigadier General Goran Momčilović, Head of the Public Relations Department, Brigadier General Asst. Prof. Mihailo Zogović and the Dean of the Faculty of Applied Arts in Belgrade, Prof. Goran Čpajak.The exhibition showcases 70 representative works of fine and applied arts from the Central Military Club’s rich art collection, many of whose works of art are cultural heritage assets.
Looking back on the seven decades of the Gallery’s continuous work, State Secretary Starović said that by celebrating this anniversary, we attach importance to the carefully built and preserved tradition "which is the pillar and support of our culture".
- Tradition is the foundation of our spirituality, so it is not surprising that the Ministry of Defence and the Serbian Armed Forces look after this fine art collection in this way. In addition to possessing military knowledge and skills, our uniformed personnel respect art. It inspires and improves them, said State Secretary Starović, announcing that "respecting both the tradition and contemporary art trends", the Serbian Armed Forces will reinstate the option to purchase the works of our distinguished artists and thus enrich the Central Military Club’s art collection.Declaring the exhibition open, State Secretary Starović said that the Serbian Armed Forces were known as a bastion of patriotism and courage, but also as a guardian of our national tradition, culture and art.
The author of the exhibition Jelena Knežević, senior curator and the Head of the Central Military Club’s Gallery, spoke about the Gallery’s history and exhibitions, emphasizing that the first formally trained Serbian artists had exhibited their works in the Central Military Club’s Gallery.
- Shortly after the first exhibitions were held, an art collection was assembled, which now comprises approximately 1,500 works of fine and applied arts. The Gallery’s efforts are also aimed at establishing relations with cultural establishments and institutions, but also with individuals, which makes our gallery space a benchmark place for art, culture and exhibitions, which is supported by the fact that between eighty and ninety thousand visitors visit our gallery annually - said Knežević.The Central Military Club’s Gallery and the Belgrade Faculty of Applied Arts were both founded by Branko Šotra, so the latter’s work is linked with the Art Collection of the Central Military Club’s Gallery. The dean of the Faculty of Applied Arts, Prof. Čpajak, spoke about the historical link, but also about the present-day relationship between the two institutions.
- As a full professor at the Faculty of Applied Arts, Branko Šotra mobilized a large number of artists from that period and organized exhibitions in this Gallery, including international exhibitions. That practice has continued, so a large number of graduate exhibitions have been organized here, including mine - said Prof. Čpajak, emphasizing that the paintings in the Central Military Club’s Gallery make up the cultural history of our country.
Public Enterprise “Pošte Srbije” has issued a special stamp to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the Central Military Club’s Gallery. The stamp was presented to the Head of the Public Relations Department, General Zogović, by Adam Sofronijević, director of “Srbijamarka” at “Pošte Srbije”.The Central Military Club’s Gallery organizes about thirty exhibitions per year in its gallery space, but also outside it, all over Serbia. The opening ceremony of the exhibition honouring the Gallery’s 70th anniversary was also an opportunity for Media Centre "Odbrana" to present awards to its associates as a sign of gratitude for their significant contribution to the work of the Gallery. Colonel Biljana Pašić, director of Media Centre "Odbrana", presented the awards to representatives of the National Museum of Serbia, Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts (SANU) Gallery, Mr. Nikola Kusovac, as well as representatives of the Zrenjanin National Museum and the Momčilo Momo Kapor Endowment.
The exhibition "Seven Decades of Dedication – the Central Military Club’s Gallery 1953-2023" will be open until February 3, 2024, and professional guided tours of the exhibition are planned for January 20 and February 3, 2024 at 1:00 p.m.