Museum of Contemporary Art of Republika Srpska
Contemporary art collection begun after the 1969 earthquake, in Banja Luka's old railway station.
The museum grew out of an act of solidarity. After the earthquake that struck Banja Luka in 1969, artists from across the world donated work to help rebuild the city's cultural life, and roughly 750 pieces formed the founding collection of the art gallery established in 1971. The institution later took the name Museum of Contemporary Art of Republika Srpska and now acts as the central body for modern and contemporary art in the entity, organising exhibitions, residencies and publications as well as caring for the collection.
Since 1981 the museum has occupied the former Austro-Hungarian railway station of 1891, a long brick and stucco building on Trg srpskih junaka that was adapted for gallery use and declared a national monument in 2007. Tall halls under the old station roof suit large installations, and the collection is arranged across departments for painting, prints, sculpture and media art. The programme mixes Bosnian and regional artists with international touring shows, and the museum has organised the country's pavilion at the Venice Biennale.
Highlights
- Collection founded in 1971 from works donated after the 1969 earthquake
- Housed in the Austro-Hungarian railway station of 1891
- Departments for painting, prints, sculpture and media art
- Organiser of Bosnia and Herzegovina's Venice Biennale pavilion
