The Hall of Presidents: Opening of the Standing Exhibition at SASA Library

The standing exhibition titled ’The Hall of Presidents at the SASA Library’ officially opens on Wednesday, 25 September 2024, at noon, at the SASA Grand Hall. The speakers include Academician Zoran Knežević, current SASA president, Academician Vladimir S. Kostić, SASA president during the 2015-2023 term, and Academician Miro Vukasnović, the author of the exhibition.

The exhibition is prepared and set up to allow visitors to quickly and in a small space understand how the Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts changed its name, starting in 1841 when Jovan Sterija Popović and Atanasije Nikolić submitted the proposal for its establishment. It tracks key historical milestones, beginning with the decrees issued by two members of the Obrenović dynasty who appointed the first eight members of the Society of Serbian Letters, and the sixteen initial members of the Serbian Royal Academy. The exhibition sheds light on how a series of academy publications were launched, starting in 1847 and continuing to modern editions, while a series of individual and group portraits reminds the visitors that honorary and full members of the Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts and its predecessors have been the most distinguished Serbian scientists and artists, as well as first professors of the University of Belgrade and the former Lyceum.

At the heart of the exhibition is a chronological display of all twenty-two presidents of the Serbian Academy, presented with uniform data., from the biologist who discovered spruce on Tara Mountain to the astronomer whose last name is now used to designate a planetoid. The order in which these presidents are presented reflects the decisions of the Academy’s members, who elected them over the course of three centuries, and therefore, it is according to their will, that it was determined who would be in the centre of the exhibition and what name it would bear. These are scholars who were entrusted with helming the Serbian Academy and giving course to its work toward fostering the best parts of the tradition, while at the same time, creating values for current and future generations. Throughout its long history, the Academy has experienced both challenges and successes and has always thrived when more independent, and this small exhibition aims to encourage further exploration of everything relevant to national and general values.

The exhibition was prepared at the SASA Library. The exhibition author’s expert associates were Danka Kuželj and Dragoslav Boro. The designer of the installation is Ivan Stanić. Records from the Archives, Library and Art Collection of the Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts and the State Archives of Serbia were used in the exhibition.