National Gallery of Bosnia and Herzegovina
The country's principal art collection, with Bosnian modernism, icons and a Ferdinand Hodler holding.
Founded on 11 October 1946, the National Gallery is the oldest institution in Bosnia and Herzegovina devoted to collecting and showing fine art. It began with around six hundred works transferred from the National Museum and now holds several thousand paintings, sculptures, prints and drawings, together with a photography and new media holding. The building on Zelenih beretki, in the Austro-Hungarian quarter between the cathedral and the Miljacka, is attributed to the architect Josip Vancas.
Separate collections cover Bosnian and Herzegovinian art from the late nineteenth century onwards, Yugoslav art, religious icons, and a group of works by the Swiss painter Ferdinand Hodler. The gallery stayed open through the siege of Sarajevo and mounted exhibitions during the fighting. Funding difficulties forced it to close for most of a year from September 2011; it reopened in August 2012 and now runs a permanent display alongside a regular programme of temporary shows.
Highlights
- Several thousand works covering Bosnian and Herzegovinian art since the 1890s
- Collection of works by the Swiss painter Ferdinand Hodler
- Holdings of religious icons and of Yugoslav-period painting and sculpture
- Institution that kept exhibiting through the siege of Sarajevo
