GALLERY OF MATICA SRPSKA – Novi Sad

GALLERY OF MATICA SRPSKA – Novi Sad

The Matica Srpska Gallery, founded in 1847, is one of the oldest and richest art collections in our country. Its collection and permanent exhibition consist of works of Serbian visual art from the region of Vojvodina, spanning from the late 17th to the early 20th century. The exhibition, arranged in chronological order, presents characteristic works of 18th-century Serbian painting – iconographic painting, transitional period painting, and Baroque painting. The gallery displays valuable icons from numerous Orthodox churches across Vojvodina, as well as works by the most significant Serbian painters of the time – Teodor Kračun, Joakim Marković, Vasa Ostojić, Janko Halkozović, and others.

19th-century visual art is represented by works from the periods of Classicism, Biedermeier, Romanticism, and Realism, including pieces by painters such as Konstantin Danil, Katarina Ivanović, Pavle Simić, Đura Jakšić, Novak Radonjić, Stevan Aleksić, Uroš Predić, Paja Jovanović, and others.

Among the representative examples of Serbian painting from the first half of the 20th century, the collection “Serbian Painting 1900–1940,” located in the upstairs hall, exhibits paintings by Petar Dobrović, Petar Konjović, Vasa Pomorišac, Sava Šumanović, Ivan Tabaković, and others, as well as sculptural works by Đorđe Jovanović.

The Matica Srpska Gallery also houses a rich “Graphic Collection,” which includes woodcuts and engravings from the 17th and 18th centuries, as well as 19th-century drawings and lithographs. Particular attention is drawn to works by the founders of applied arts among Serbs, Hristofor Žefarović and Zaharija Orfelin – also among the most notable visual artists of the 18th century – as well as the collection of drawings and lithographs by Anastas Jovanović (1817–1899). The gallery also possesses and exhibits the “Collection of Copies of Wall Paintings,” which includes the most significant 18th-century wall paintings from Vojvodina monasteries, displayed in their original size.

The building housing the Matica Srpska Gallery – originally constructed for the Productive Exchange – was built between 1926 and 1927, based on designs by Novi Sad architect Lazar Dunđerski (1881–1952). The exhibition space on the ground floor is used for temporary thematic and monographic exhibitions, accompanied by publications, books, monographs, and catalogues. The gallery also maintains a rich library and archival documentation related to the history of Serbian painting.

Since 1974, the Matica Srpska Gallery has had a dedicated department – the “Hristofor Žefarović Memorial Museum and His Era” – located in the Bođani Monastery in southern Bačka, founded in 1478. The church’s frescoes, painted by Žefarović (1737), are among the most successful examples of Serbian wall painting from the first half of the 18th century, demonstrating a new approach to landscape, figure, and perspective, as well as innovative interpretations of light, form, and color. The compositions from the cycle “Existence (Genesis)” are particularly notable. The permanent exhibition in the monastery’s convent buildings displays Žefarović’s engravings, engraved books, artistic embroidery, as well as archival documents and materials related to his life and artistic career.

 

Working hours:

Monday: Closed

Tuesday – Thursday: 10:00 AM – 08:00 PM

Friday: 10:00 AM – 10:00 PM

Saturday – Sunday: 10:00 AM – 06:00 PM

Trg galerija 1, Novi Sad
+381 (0)21 489 9000
[email protected]
www.galerijamaticesrpske.rs

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