Image: Тhe Gallery of Matica srpska
A traveling exhibition focused on the ateliers of leading Serbian artists will open in Leskovac on July 8 and remain on view until August 8, 2026, bringing together photographs, original artworks and virtual reality presentations in a program tied to the 200th anniversary of the Gallery of Matica srpska. Presented at the Leskovac Cultural Center, the show is part of the Serbian cultural program for 2026 and is described by organizers as one of the most significant exhibitions within the “National Heritage” subprogram.
The exhibition, titled "Ateljei srpskih umetnika" and rendered in English here as "Serbian Artists’ Ateliers," centers on the relationship between artists and the spaces in which they work. According to the Leskovac Cultural Center, it offers insight into the creative environments and private worlds of prominent Serbian artists, while also showing how those spaces shaped the making of their art. The concept places the studio itself at the heart of the exhibition, not just as a backdrop but as a key part of artistic practice and cultural memory.
Among the artists represented are Paja Jovanović, Đorđe Jovanović, Stevan Aleksić, Petar Dobrović, Milan Konjović, Milenko Šerban, Ivan Tabaković, Ljubica Cuca Sokić, Ivanka Acin and Vera Zarić, alongside works by unidentified authors. The display includes 10 photographs of Serbian artists’ studios, original paintings and sculptures, and a VR presentation of the studios of sculptor Đorđe Jovanović and painter Milan Konjović. Biographical panels are also included to place the works and the studios in context for visitors.
The show is linked to the anniversary of the Gallery of Matica srpska, one of Serbia’s major art institutions, and extends the gallery’s mission beyond Novi Sad through a touring format. By staging the exhibition in Leskovac, organizers are bringing a museum-based project into a regional cultural center and making a case for the studio as a vital part of Serbian art heritage. The use of virtual reality also signals the way institutions are combining historical material with digital interpretation to reach wider audiences.
The exhibition opens in the hall of the Leskovac Cultural Center on July 8 at 1 p.m. The venue and timing underline its role as both a local cultural event and part of a broader institutional anniversary program. For visitors, the show promises a rare look into the spaces where some of the most important works of 19th- and 20th-century Serbian art were created, while also highlighting the continuing relevance of studio culture in how art history is presented today.
