SASA Gallery of Visual Arts and Music

The SASA Gallery showroom works every workday, except Mondays, from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Admission to the Gallery is free.

The Serbian Academy of Sciences (SASA) opened the Gallery in 1968. The Gallery provides the general public with an insight into SASA activities. By staging exhibitions of works from various fields, preserving the works of art in the holdings of the Art Collection, and organizing concerts, the Gallery fulfills its mission of promoting art in Belgrade.

In 1967, owing to the efforts of the members of the SASA Department of Visual Arts and Music, a massive reconstruction of the ground floor premises on the corner of Kneza Mihaila and Vuka Karadžića Streets was undertaken, based on the design of Grigorije Samojlov, who had reconstructed the entire interior of the Academy Palace between 1949 and 1952, and the premises were turned into an exhibition gallery.

In November of 1967, the SASA Presidency instituted the Art Council of the Gallery, whose members were selected from the ranks of SASA members and renowned professionals. Corresponding Member Nedeljko Gvozdenović was appointed head of the Council. May of 1968 saw the opening of the first exhibition, Serbian Artists of the 19th Century, curated by Academician Lazar Trifunović, who was also a member of the Art Council of the Gallery.

The basic task of the SASA Gallery is to organize art and science exhibitions and present the activities of the Academy. In collaboration with SASA departments and the most prominent experts in various fields, over 240 exhibitions have been staged to date. Occasionally, the Gallery hosts exhibitions organized by other Serbian and foreign institutions, whereas some of the exhibitions of the SASA Gallery are also staged as visiting exhibitions in galleries in Serbia and abroad.

The SASA Gallery organizes lectures related to exhibition activities, as well as guided tours of exhibitions. It also documents exhibitions and has a closed stack library.

Nedeljko Gvozdenović was also elected editor-in-chief of the SASA Gallery publication series, started in 1968, whereas Ivan Tabaković was put in charge of the design of monographs and exhibition catalogues. At present, the editors are Gallery directors. By the end of the year 2016, 138 publications had come out as part of the series. Izložbene sveske (Exhibition Volumes), a subseries published by the Gallery, has been coming out since 1974. Izložbene sveske also accompany exhibitions in catalogue form. By the end of 2016, 39 issues had come out (they have been regularly numbered since 1991). A new series of Gallery publications, Izložbene novine (Exhibition Newspapers), was started in 1980 and has had over 20 issues (they have been regularly numbered since 1984). The Gallery also publishes catalogues for the Art Collection, guides for exhibitions, posters, roll fold leaflets, and artwork reproductions.

The SASA Gallery is in charge of the SASA Art Collection, which was formed in 1969 to collect documentation on visual artists who are SASA members.

Between 1979 and 1982, under the directorship of SASA Corresponding Member Ivan Antić, the Gallery was expanded after a design by Branislav Milović to include a number of premises along Vuka Karadžića Street. Thus today, an area of over 500 m² is occupied by the Exhibition Room and a section intended for displaying works held by the Art Collection and for organizing concerts. There is also a depot of the Art Collection.

Since 1982, when Academician Stanojlo Rajičić was at its head, the Department of Visual Arts and Music has regularly organized concerts of classical music at the Gallery.

In accordance with decisions of the Art Council, the Gallery is run by a director. Since its foundation, the office has been held by the following five people in chronological order: Stanislav Živković, PhD, and academicians Dragoslav Srejović, Gojko Subotić, Dinko Davidov, and Dušan Otašević.

 

Director of SASA Gallery: Academician DUŠAN OTAŠEVIĆ
Deputy Director of SASA Gallery: JELENA MEŽINSKI MILOVANOVIĆ
Head of SASA Gallery Exhibition Room: dr KATARINA ŽIVANOVIĆ
Telephone: +381 11 2027 244, 2027 242
Fax: +381 11 2027 201
Address: SASA Gallery, Knez Mihailova 35, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia
Еmail: galerija.sanu@sanu.ac.rs