Bogdan Bogdanović: Nekropolis

On Friday, 22 November 2024, at 6:30 pm, we invite you to the Herman Pečarič Gallery in Piran, where we will open an exhibition on the occasion of the 35th anniversary of the Piranesi Award as part of the 41st international conference Piran Days of Architecture.

Bogdan Bogdanović: Nekropolis

In 1989, the first Piranesi Award was presented to prominent Belgrade-based architect Bogdan Bogdanović for the Memorial Park Dudik in Vukovar, whose construction was finished nine years prior to the Award's establishment. This exhibition marks the 35^th anniversary of Piranesi Award and reminds us of Bogdanović’s oeuvre, namely the memorials, which are globally among the most famous works of Yugoslav architecture. Their prominence can be attributed to their beauty and variety, which stem from the craft, erudition, and versatility of their author. His political background and his misfortune late in his life have also played a part in this newly found interest, but many of the memorials often come to be recognized as the architectural and sculptural gems, completely divorced from their commemorative and didactic purposes. However, Bogdanović himself often referred to them as necropoleis, the cities of the dead, especially when it came to the memorials which had been built within the already existing urban environments. Bogdanović masterfully planned the placement and the landscaping of these necropoleis, juxtaposing them against the urban tissue of the towns and thus creating – even imposing – a dialogue. Even within the context of the present day's wilful oblivion, Bogdanović’s necropoleis provide a place of peaceful seclusion within the lavish greenery and act as a reminder of the price having been paid for such peace with the omens made of concrete, stone, and timber emerging from the meadows, forests, and bodies of water.

The exhibited material has never been presented in public as these are materials which either accompanied Bogdanović into his exile(s), or remained carefully stored away in the family's Belgrade apartment, covered with the patina of time. The core of the exhibition features photographs made by Bogdanović himself, who was an avid amateur photographer. These showcase his monuments from a more intimate and self-exploratory perspective with the palpable, eerie atmosphere of suspense. These were the materials which Bogdanović often used for his lectures, or the inconspicuous official plans and designs for the memorials, which were submitted to the local administrations. There are also photographs of the stonemason Džunić’s crew from Temska, with whom he Bogdanović collaborated for many years, and the contemporary photographs of the sites provided by my colleagues Vladimir Kulić and Andrew Lawler. It was only recently, owing to the tireless work of many researchers and the support of Bogdan Bogdanović's late wife, professor Ksenija Anastasijević, that these materials have resurfaced and have therefore become available to be exhibited.

Bogdan Bogdanović (b. Belgrade, 1922, d. Vienna, 2010) was a Belgrade-based Yugoslav architect, urbanist, university professor, writer, and politician. From 1993 until his death, he was exiled to Vienna due to his vocal opposition to nationalist politics in Serbia and Yugoslavia. He was the author of some of the most acclaimed memorial sites dedicated to the victims of World War 2 and the People’s Liberation Struggle in former Yugoslavia. He was a professor at the Faculty of Architecture of the University of Belgrade, the Faculty’s vice dean, and appointed dean for a single term, as well as the founder of the informal school of architecture in Mali Popović. He was mayor of Belgrade from 1982 to 1986. He was the laureate of October Awards in 1960 and 1966, Republican and Federal Awards of newspaper "Borba" in 1965, 7^th July Lifetime Achievement Awards in 1976, Grand Award for Architecture and Piranesi Award in 1989, Herder Award in 1997, the Austrian Cross of Honor for Science and Art in 2002, and the Gold Medal of the City of Vienna in 2003.

I would like to extend my gratitude to my dear friends and colleagues Vladimir Kulić and Andrew Lawler, who have selflessly shared their research and their insights with me. This exhibition would not be possible without Ivana Babić Milovanović and the Džunić family, who have allowed me to share the materials from their personal collections with the world. I would also like to thank the organizations and individuals behind platforms Inappropriate Monuments, Arhiva modernizma, and partizansko.info for providing additional research resources, and to the Graham Foundation for Advanced Studies in the Fine Arts' support in the digitization of the exhibited material.

Jelica Jovanović

Monuments at the exhibition

1 Burial Mound of the Undefeated

Prilep, N. Macedonia, 1960–1961

2 Partisan Cemetery

Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina, 1959–1965

3 Slobodište

Kruševac, Serbia, 1960–1965

4 Jasenovac Memorial Park

Jasenovac, Croatia, 1959–1966

5 Memorial to the Revolution

Leskovac, Serbia, 1964–1971

6 Memorial for the Wars of Independence, 1804–1945

Knjaževac, Serbia, 1969–1971

7 Shrine to the Fallen Serbian and Albanian Partisans

Kosovska Mitrovica, Kosovo, 1960–1973

8 Adonis’s Altar

Labin, Croatia, 1973–1974

Guardian of Freedom

Klis, Croatia, 1988 (demolished in 1995)

9 Necropolis for the Victims of Fascism

Novi Travnik, Bosnia and Herzegovina, 1971–1975

10 Monument to the Fallen

Vlasotince, Serbia, 1973–1975

11 Monument to Freedom

Berane (Ivangrad), Montenegro, 1977

12 Dudik Memorial Park

Vukovar, Croatia, 1978–1980

13 Mausoleum of Struggle and Victory

Čačak, Serbia, 1970–1980

14 Garavice Memorial Park

Bihać, Bosnia and Herzegovina 1969–1981

15 Popina Memorial Park

Popina near Trstenik, Serbia, 1978–1981

16 Monument to the Jewish victims of Fascism

Belgrade, Serbia, 1950–1952

17 Alley of the Fallen Patriots between 1941–1944

Belgrade, Serbia, 1959

with Svetislav Ličina

18 Necropolis

Sremska Mitrovica, Vojvodina, Serbia, 1959–1960

19 Monument to the Beginning of the Uprising

Bela Crkva near Krupanj, Serbia, 1971

20 Monument to the Massacre of Patriots and Roma in Arapova Dolina

Leskovac, Serbia, 1971–1973

21 Partisan Necropolis

Štip, N. Macedonia, 1974

22 Tomb of Dušan Petrović-Šane

Aranđelovac, Serbia, 1980

Photos

Bogdan Bogdanović: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11 (above), 12, 13, 14, 15, 16

Momir Džunić: 11 (below)  

Vladimir Kulić: 17, 18, 21                     

Nenad Lajbenšperger: 2

Andrew Lawler: 19, 20

Bogdanović's photographs are held by Architekturzentrum Wien.

Photo 16 was provided by the Belgrade Urban Planning Institute.

Drawings

Personal archives of Ivana Babić Milovanović

Curator

Jelica Jovanović

Initiative, coordination and organisation

Maja Ivanič, Špela Kuhar

Proof-reading

Katja Paladin

English proof-reading

Sašo Podobnik

Graphic design

Ivan Ilić

Exhibition space

Galerija Herman Pečarič, Obalne galerije Piran

Production

Galerija DESSA 

November 2024

Sponsors

Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Slovenia

Ministry of Natural Resources and Spatial Planning of the Republic of Slovenia

Municipality of Piran