Construction of the "Mersad Berber" Gallery in Sarajevo to Begin Soon

SARAJEVO, (Patria) - Last week, a monographic exhibition of the prominent Bosnian-Herzegovinian painter and graphic artist Mersad Berber opened in the prestigious Klovićevi dvori Gallery in Zagreb. The works of this great artist, which will be exhibited for the next two months, are mostly selected from the artist's family property and private collections, with a portion of the collection loaned from the Bosniak Institute in Sarajevo. A selection of 150 works, mostly large formats, is presented, ranging from early works created in 1958 and from his period of study at the Academy of Fine Arts in Ljubljana, to his last self-portraits.

Mersad Berber was one of the most prominent Bosnian-Herzegovinian academic painters whose works have been exhibited throughout Europe, as well as the USA and Asia. He is the recipient of over 50 awards and recognitions for his work. In addition to painting, he also engaged in graphic arts, tapestry, illustration, and worked on scenography and costume design.

The works of Mersad Berber will also have their place in Sarajevo, in the "Mersad Berber" Gallery, which will be located in the center of the Old Town, on Zelenih beretki street, and whose construction will begin soon. The Municipality of Stari Grad and the City of Sarajevo are jointly involved in this project for which conceptual and executive designs have already been completed, and the process of obtaining a building permit is underway. Space and funds for the first phase of work have been secured.

“The "Mersad Berber" Gallery will be located on Zelenih beretki street, in a space of 450 m2, and this is a project we entered into together with the City of Sarajevo. At the beginning of this year, the Municipal Council adopted a decision to allocate funds for the adaptation of the space, and we immediately prepared the technical documentation. The Municipality will allocate 300,000 KM for the works, and the City of Sarajevo an additional 100,000 KM, and we are now in the phase of selecting contractors,” said the mayor Ibrahim Hadžibajrić, who was a guest at the exhibition in Zagreb.

“By opening the gallery, we will contribute to the improvement of the cultural scene in our city, the popularization of the works of this great artist, and at the same time, we will pay him the recognition he deserves,” said Hadžibajrić.

The works should begin immediately after the selection of the contractor, and the first phase will include part of the construction and craft, electrical, hydro-technical, and mechanical works. As previously stated by Ensar Berber, Mersad Berber's son, the opening of the gallery will be an honor for his family to have his museum opened in the city where his father created the most.

“For my family and our Foundation, this is a great honor, because Sarajevo is the city where my father built his name and career and where he worked the most. We are glad that a significant segment from our collection will be permanently displayed in Sarajevo. We want to turn these premises into a world-class museum with all its accompanying facilities,” Berber stated earlier.

The works of Mersad Berber are found in many museum, gallery, and private collections worldwide, including Tate Modern in London, which purchased two works from the Hommage a Velasquez cycle in 1984. His most significant cycles include: Sarajevo Chronicles, Journey to Skender Vakuf, Ottoman Chronicles, Hommage a Velazquez, Hommage Vlaho Bukovac, and the last one, Srebrenica and Archive...