Aggressive Forms I, 1959

The Legacy of Olga Jevrić

The Legacy of Olga Jevrić is kept in the building of the Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts in Knez Mihailova Street in Belgrade. In 2007, The Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts received an extraordinary collection consisting of 147 small and medium scale sculptures through a gift agreement. which represents a valuable and admirable oeuvre of Olga Jevrić.

Olga Jevrić belonged to a generation of Serbian artists which led a major transfer toward a contemporary expression and she became one of the most prominent representatives of the Serbian contemporary art. She broke away from the tradition of interpretation of reality by turning to the very essence of sculpture with a clearly defined sculptural attitude thus forming a unique artistic expression.
Through her distinct technological process, by combining and synthesizing cement and iron dust, she created material for her sculptures, one whose properties allowed the formation of shape and mass by depositing layers (ferric oxide, cement, sprayed iron, rods).

The core of the Legacy consists of the sculptures from her first solo exhibition, while the permanent exposition includes small and medium scale sculptures created between 1956 – 1998 introducing Olga Jevrić’s concept of art to a visitor. In addition to aesthetic, the exposition has a didactic character; therefore, several criteria were taken into consideration when selecting sculptures: the uniqueness of sculptures, their aesthetic quality, historical significance, documentary value. The sculptures which have not been put on view are stored in the SASA Depot.

Aside from the exhibition work, academic research dealing with the author’s work and creativity, as well as the period she lived and worked in is conducted on Olga Jevrić’s Legacy premises. Documentation on work, printed and digital materials, photographs, catalogues, newspaper archives and scholar contributions which are results of academic research, are available to researchers and any interested parties.

The requirements for access to content, records and services to the scientific community have been met. The contents of this valuable fund have been envisaged and presented in such a manner as to present Olga Jevrić’s body of works to the general public in the best possible way.

During 2012, the works on the reconstruction of the premises of the Legacy in the SASA building were carried
out. The municipalities of Stari Grad and Vračar, the Secretariat for Culture of the City of Belgrade, the Ministry of Culture and Information of the Republic of Serbia allocated funds. The premises were furnished with cabinets and modern standards of museum storage and exhibition practice were applied when designing a new, more contemporary exhibition. The continuity and innovation of the permanent exhibition of the Legacy will contribute to the presentation and promotion of this cultural good.