Public institution Museum of Contemporary Art of Republic of Srpska is a central museum institution for performance of museum activities in the Republic of Srpska.
Following a decision of the Banja Luka Town Council, the Museum of Contemporary Art of the Republic of Srpska was founded on 1971 and initially named the Art Gallery of Banja Luka. A campaign preceded the opening of the Gallery, launched by Yugoslavian and international fine artists, as a gesture of solidarity with the city of Banja Luka after it was hit by a massive earthquake on 26 and 27 October 1969. In solidarity with the devastated city, distinguished Yugoslavian painters, art historians and friends of Banja Luka collected around 750 art works to help the city, which were used to start the Gallery and made its core collection.
The mission of the newly established Gallery was to systematically research, collect, study, keep, analyse, restore, conserve and exhibit works of fine art made by both local and foreign artists. It helped promote and develop fine art and culture in its sphere of influence, and also broaden people’s knowledge of and cultivate popular taste in fine art.
The home of the Museum of Contemporary Art of the Republic of Srpska is one of Banja Luka’s finest edifices, originally an Austro-Hungarian railway station built in 1891. For it to be used as a museum, it was adapted in full compliance with museological standards in 1981. In 2007, the Museum building was listed as a national monument by the Commission to Preserve National Monuments of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and as such, it is entitled to special preservation measures.
The Art Gallery opened and publicly presented its first permanent exhibition on 22 April 1981, which consisted of the most valuable works from the Gallery collection and presented the major trends in Yugoslavian art of the second half of the 20th century. It did not take long for the Art Gallery to grow into a regional art centre, owing to its programmes of activities and collaboration with numerous artists. Over the decades that it has existed, the Gallery redesigned its permanent exhibition several times. Recently, MSURS removed its permanent exhibition and occasionally holds thematic shows to present its collections.
One of the major events staged by the Art Gallery of Banja Luka was the “Autumn Salonˮ, a biennial exhibition launched in 1962 and held fourteen times. The majority of these biennial events were also principally organised by the Art Gallery.
Following a decision of the Government of the Republic of Srpska, the Art Gallery was renamed the Gallery of Fine Arts of the Republic of Srpska in 1994 and became the central museological institution in the Republic focusing on fine arts. Since there was an obvious imbalance between its new name and professional activities, the Gallery of Fine Arts of the Republic of Srpska was renamed once more. As decreed by the Government of the Republic of Srpska, it became the Museum of Contemporary Art of the Republic of Srpska on 10 February 2004. The professional activities undertaken by MSURS continued to unfold in accordance with its earlier practice that sought to develop it into a complex institution, whose work gradually became grounded in the basic principles of contemporary museology.
The Museum has four departments: Collections Department; Information and Documentation Centre and Library; Education Programmes Department; and Department of Exhibitions and Programme Activities.
The Museum of Contemporary Art of the Republic of Srpska is the only museum in Bosnia and Herzegovina whose name contains the word “contemporaryˮ and which narrowly focuses on contemporary art. MSURS is dedicated to promoting the development of contemporary art in its sphere of influence, functioning as a hub that collects materials and studies and presents contemporary art practices. Also, the Museum relies on its cooperation with relevant international institutions for its programme activities, which allows it to keep up with and present the latest developments and tendencies in art. The activities undertaken by MSURS have certainly helped the rise and consolidation of a vivid and dynamic local contemporary art scene, whose achievements have been recognised internationally.
The Museum’s most ambitious projects to date have been the organisation, production and presentation of the pavilions of Bosnia and Herzegovina at the 55th International Art Exhibition of la Biennale di Venezia in 2013, for which “The Garden of Delights” by Mladen Miljanović was selected, and at the 57th Venice Biennale in 2017, where the exhibition “University of Disaster” by Radenko Milak, in association with Roman Uranjek and international guests, is currently on display.
Some of its other major projects include two exhibitions by British artists, “New Religion” by Damien Hirst (2016) and “The Vanity of Small Differences” by Grayson Perry (2017), both hosted in association with the British Council.
MSURS is an active member of the international organisation ICOM and annually celebrates the International Museum Day and the European Night of Museums.
As part of the institution of the international Živa Award presented by the Forum of Slavic Cultures for the best Southeast European museum, MSURS won a special award of recognition for its creativity in 2014, which stressed its role in working with the local community and supporting the work of young artists.
On the occasion of Banja Luka Day celebrated on 22 April 2016, the Museum of Contemporary Art of the Republic of Srpska received the “Plaque of the City of Banja Luka.” The Museum was given this important acknowledgment for its great accomplishments in the fields of culture and art, on the basis of initiatives to award prizes to and acknowledge the achievements of the city’s most meritorious institutions.