We are still deeply moved and genuinely overwhelmed by the opening of the fantastic overview exhibition of 70 of Viktor’s works at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Banja Luka.
Most of the paintings date from the 1950s and 1960s, from the years before Viktor moved to the Netherlands. The works had been donated to the museum in the past, but were in poor condition. They have now undergone an extensive process of conservation and restoration by a team of dedicated professional restorers, in cooperation with the Centre for Conservation and Restoration in Belgrade, led by Gordana Jakovljev.
After a smaller preview exhibition in Belgrade in June, all 70 works are now on display in Banja Luka. We attended the opening together with all of Viktor’s children. Viktor himself was sadly unable to attend due to his frail health.
It was incredibly special to see so many of Viktor’s works together, including many paintings that even we had never seen before. The works themselves are beautiful, and the exhibition, thoughtfully curated by Žana Vukičević, is so varied and well-balanced.
The exhibition traces Viktor’s development from his early figurative paintings, through his experiments with abstraction, to the geometric and optical abstraction that became the defining language of his later work. His work holds an important place in the art history of Bosnia and Herzegovina, where he was one of the pioneers and important representatives of geometric and optical abstraction in the second half of the 20th century.
For us, it was fascinating to discover these early works, including the beginnings of his abstract work, which we had known very little about.
This exhibition is also a tribute to the people who preserved these works. Thanks to their care and dedication, Viktor’s work can now be seen and discovered by future generations.
As a family, we are deeply grateful that this part of Viktor’s artistic legacy has found such a wonderful home in the museum, and that these works have been so carefully restored.
It was a very special evening for all of us.
