After five years of systematic work, collecting, and preserving artistic heritage, the Museum of Modern Art of the University of Mostar is preparing for one of the most important moments in its short but rich history – the opening of its permanent exhibitiono, featuring a selection of artworks from its extensive art collection. The exhibition will open as part of the event “Mostar Spring 2026 – 28th Days of Matica hrvatska.” Partners in the organization are Matica hrvatska Mostar and the Council of Matica hrvatska in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
For the Museum and the University, this is much more than a ceremonial act: it confirms that Mostar has gained a true and lasting artistic focal point. In 2020, the University of Mostar established the University Gallery, which quickly outgrew its initial mission and was renamed the Museum of Modern Art in 2023, with the ambition of becoming a regional center for contemporary visual arts. Over the past years, the Collection has been systematically developed, relying almost entirely on donations—the generosity of artists, collectors, and friends of culture who recognized the importance of such an institution in Mostar and Herzegovina. The result of this five-year effort is a collection that now includes more than 500 artworks of various media and styles, making it one of the richest university collections of modern and contemporary art in the region.
The Collection includes oil paintings, acrylics, mixed media works, prints, sculptures, installations, photographs, drawings, watercolors, and graphic portfolios. The time span of the works ranges from pieces created in the 1930s to the most recent artworks. In addition to the Museum, part of the Collection is displayed in the buildings of the University of Mostar faculties, making it visible within the very heart of academic life.
A particularly important role in preparing the permanent exhibition was played by Božo Biškupić, former Minister of Culture of the Republic of Croatia and honorary professor at the University of Mostar. Through his initiative and personal network, the largest and most representative portion of the permanent exhibition was secured. These are donations from established and internationally recognized artists whose names are synonymous with the contemporary Croatian and regional art scene. Without his engagement, the permanent exhibition would not have achieved its current level of representativeness in such a short time.
Within the Museum’s Collection, special mention should be made of 14 works by Tihomir Lončar, including lyrical and intimate compositions such as Afternoon Sun (1984), as well as monumental canvases like The Last Supper and Pietà (2018). Lončar’s works provide a unique retrospective overview of his artistic output spanning nearly four decades. In addition, Zoltan Novak donated the monumental triptych Murakami’s Screen, measuring an impressive 250 × 600 cm, which stands as one of the most representative exhibits in the entire Collection.
Among the 183 artists represented in the Collection are Biserka Baretić-Petlevski, Ivan Lacković-Croata, Josip Škerlj, Muhamed Bajramović, Koraljka Kovač, Matko Vekić, Gordana Kovačić Macolić, Zdenka Pozaić, Stjepan Skoko, Jagoda Buić, Luka Paljetak, Ljiljana Rajković, Dimitrije Popović, Tomislav Buntak, Goran Petrač, Munir Vejzović, Josip Ivanović, Srđan Vukčević, Petar Perica Vidić, Sava Pavlović, Edo Murtić, Davorin Radić, Josip Botteri Dini, and many others.
Over the past five years, the Museum has organized numerous exhibitions, educational programs, and symposia, and has also participated in the 60th Venice Biennale, bringing international visibility and recognition to the Croatian art scene in Bosnia and Herzegovina like never before. For the Croatian people in Bosnia and Herzegovina, this exhibition carries deeper symbolic significance. It demonstrates that Croatian cultural thought and artistic production in Bosnia and Herzegovina are not marginal phenomena, but an equal and recognizable voice within the broader European cultural landscape.
For the University of Mostar, the opening of the permanent exhibition confirms that its cultural and social mission is inseparable from its educational and scientific role, forming an integral and equal part of its identity.
The permanent exhibition of the Museum of Modern Art of the University of Mostar will open on Thursday, April 30 at 7:00 PM. Admission is free.
