POMORIŠAC - VASA POMORIŠAC

As part of the collaboration between the Museum of Naive and Marginal Art and the Gallery of the Matica srpska, the exhibition "Pomorišac – Vasa Pomorišac" was opened on June 13 at the Museum of Naive and Marginal Art in Jagodina. The attendees were addressed by Ivana Bašičević Antić, PhD, the director of the Museum of Naive and Marginal Art; Tijana Palkovljević Bugarski, PhD, the director of the Gallery of the Matica srpska; and Ana Ereš, PhD, the exhibition curator, while the exhibition was officially opened by Nikola Selaković, the Minister of Culture of the Republic of Serbia.

The Gallery of the Matica srpska is guesting at the MNMA in Jagodina with the exhibition "Pomorišac – Vasa Pomorišac," which opened on June 13 at 7 PM.
This exhibition is dedicated to the artist who managed to present classical art through the lens of a modern perspective, being the only one among his fellow painters of the first half of the 20th century to have studied in London and who was awarded the Silver Medal by the Association of French Artists. Works by Vasa Pomorišac are held in numerous private collections across Europe, as well as in the state collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum in London. The exhibition will be open until September 8, 2024.

Pomorišac's artistic journey developed from his birthplace of Modoš, through Zagreb, Munich, and Belgrade, all the way to London and Paris. His recognition in the art world is evidenced by numerous commissions and works executed in various media, diverse themes, and for different purposes – from portraits, religious and mythological compositions in oil, to historical and folk motifs in fresco painting, stained glass, and book illustrations, as well as designs for banknotes, along with a favorable reception from critics and positive opinions from the contemporary professional community, colleagues, and society in general. Additionally, his collaboration with the Matica srpska was significant. He was the last, eleventh scholarship recipient of the Matica srpska, which is why it is not coincidental that the 175th anniversary of the Gallery of the Matica srpska, which began with an exhibition of works by the first scholarship recipient Uroš Predić, is rounded off with an exhibition of works by Vasa Pomorišac.

The exhibition was originally realized in collaboration with the Gallery of the Serbian Matica and the Museum of Contemporary Art in Belgrade, and the public first saw it at the Gallery of the Matica srpska from October 20, 2023, to March 3, 2024. The exhibition curators are Jelena Ognjanović and Ana Ereš, PhD.
The exhibition "Pomorišac – Vasa Pomorišac" is complemented by the publication of a significant monograph about the artist titled "Vasa Pomorišac: Painter of Modernity and Continuity." The monograph was created as the last in a series of anniversary publications marking the 175th anniversary of the founding of the Gallery of the Matica srpska. At its core, it was based on the work done in preparing the exhibition "Pomorišac – Vasa Pomorišac," organized for the Gallery's Day in 2023, which rounded off the anniversary. A look at the numerous collected works selected for display and the writing of the accompanying publication, conversations with the artist's heirs, and insights into extensive archival material sparked the idea to complement the anniversary with a monographic study, presenting the life and artistic journey of Vasa Pomorišac comprehensively and holistically. The author of the monograph, Ana Ereš, decided to view the creative oeuvre of this artist in the broader context of the European art scene of his time and offered readers a more modern perspective and an answer to the question of who Vasa Pomorišac was.
Through the monograph and the exhibition, the work of this artist, characterized by high artistic values and achievements worthy of European recognition, has now become more accessible and known to the public. Ana Ereš's new perspective, through a more open approach to interpreting and understanding the richness of Pomorišac's thematic and artistic orientations, has made this artist closer and clearer to the contemporary moment, as well as to future times.