Lazar Vozarević. The Gallery Makes a Guest Appearance
To mark the centenary of the birth of Lazar Vozarević (1925–1968), one of the most prominent representatives of Serbian and Yugoslav modern painting, the Gallery of Matica Srpska has ceremoniously opened a monographic exhibition titled Lazar Vozarević. A Guest Gallery. The exhibition will remain open to visitors until January 31, 2026.
Organized in collaboration with the Lazar Vozarević Gallery from Sremska Mitrovica, the exhibition presents the most valuable part of their collection, including the entire legacy consisting of 79 works. In addition, it features pieces from the Gallery of Matica Srpska’s collection, as well as five illustrations and one artwork by Pablo Picasso, on loan from the National Museum of Serbia and the French Embassy in Belgrade, emphasizing Vozarević’s connection with European art.
The display provides a comprehensive overview of all of Vozarević’s creative phases, from his beginnings in the 1950s to his final works created in 1968. His oeuvre is marked by three distinct phases: the first, figurative phase, showing the influence of Pablo Picasso and Byzantine art; the brief informel phase; and finally, the post-informel phase, characterized by color-intense, symbolically rich paintings-reliefs.
The exhibition is accompanied by three video animations that bring Vozarević’s inspirations closer to the audience, as well as three documentary films dedicated to his life and artistic journey.
The exhibition is curated by Marija Vuruna, Director of the Lazar Vozarević Gallery, and Ivana Rastović and Ivana Janjić, curators of the Gallery of Matica Srpska.
The program is enriched with a variety of accompanying activities, including thematic lectures on Fridays, guided tours on weekends, and an educational program for children.
The realization of the project was supported by the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Serbia, the Provincial Secretariat for Culture and Religious Affairs, and the City of Novi Sad, with DDOR Insurance Novi Sad as the main sponsor.