Theoretic

Jovan Despotović

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Biography


Jovan Despotovic was born in 1952 in Beograd, Yugoslavia, today in Serbia. He attended elementary and high school in Belgrade. After graduating from the Faculty of Philosophy, University of Belgrade in History of art in 1976, he worked at the Faculty of Applied Arts as a librarian (1980), the Museum of Contemporary Art in Belgrade as a curator of gallery-legacy, salon MSU and the collection of sculpture, also the Head of Department of art collections and exhibitions (1981–2001).

In the Government of the Republic of Serbia, he was Deputy Minister of Culture and Coordination Center for Kosovo and Metohija Head of Sector for the protection of cultural heritage (2001–2004). Since 2004, he has held the editor's cultural and information desk at the Third Programme of Radio Belgrade in Public servis RTS - Radio-Television Serbia. At the same time was a consultant for the culture in the Open Society Institute, Belgrade, 1993–1994, editor of the art program of the Center for Cultural Decontamination, Belgrade, 1995–2000, expert advisor to the Auction House Madl'Art, Belgrade, since 2005.

His area of interest is Modern and contemporary art in its historical review and new interpretations. Theoretical and critical reviews of current art and visual creativity, especially references to painting, sculpture and art criticism. Focus on stylistic developments in postmodernism, the last decade and this century. Since the nineties, especially after 2000, is extremely interested in the cultural policy. He has published about 2000 articles, critical reviews, essays, a modern, contemporary and actual creation and their protagonists in numerous daily, weekly and monthly periodicals, as well as in specialized magazines and electronic media. He is the founder and editor of numerous journals: Sveske (Association of Art Historians Serbia), Belgrade,Moment, Belgrade, Vreme umetnosti (special supplement of the Vreme weekly), Belgrade, Treći program of Radio Belgrade, Belgrade, etc.. Translated into French, English, German, Finnish, Norwegian, Swedish, Greek, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Slovenian, Macedonian and Albanian. Prepared by 300 authors show in Serbia, former Yugoslavia and abroad. He was a Yugoslav commissioner at the 7th International Small Sculpture Exhibition in Budapest, 1987 and 22nd Biennale in Sao Paolo, 1994.

Despotovic published art criticism and articles since 1978. At the beginning of eighties, together with a group of young Serbian artists in Belgrade: Milovan Destil Marković, Vlasta Vulcano Mikic, Tahir Lusic, Nada Alavanja, Tafil Musovic, Mrdjan Bajic, Slobodan Trajkovic etc., as a art critic, he participated in the creation and development of New Wave in art and culture which opposed to traditional creativity in all areas - from visual arts to rock music, from theater to fashion and others. With numerous writings and art exhibitions Despotovic contributed to this movement known as a New Image Painting (Nova Slika) to became very known in Serbia, former Yugoslavia and abroad.

He was very active in cultural policy movement for political change developed during the Nineties in Serbia. This movement also had as its goal changes in the arts and culture. The effort to establish a new, democratic order brought together many intellectuals, artists, NGOs, etc. Despotovic contributed in great measure to this movement. Following the political changes that took place in Serbia in 2000, he was named deputy minister in the Ministry of Culture in the first democratically elected government of Prime Minister Zoran Djindjić. During his time in the Ministry of Culture he made a lasting contribution to the renewal of institutions, ministerial staffing, legislation of cultural activities and increased international cooperation. At the same time, he published numerous professional articles and public commentary. A special area of interest and engagement for him was the advancement of contemporary artistic production and the institutions engaged in it. He also made a significant contribution to the protection of Serbia’s cultural heritage, especially in Kosovo at the time of the arrival of UNMIK (United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo).

Membership in associations:

Membership: 1986 AICA - International Association of Art Critics 

Actions, projects:

Curatorial Exhibitions (selection)
1982
New Now, Gallery Pinki, Belgrade

1983
The art of the eighties (co-author), Museum of Contemporary Art, Belgrade

1984
Jugoslavian Nykytaidetta, Alvar Aalto museet, Oslo
Jugoslavisk Nutidskonst, Taidehalli, Helsinki

1987
7th International Small Sculpture Exhibition of Budapest, Palace of Exhibitions, Budapest

1994
22nd Sao Paulo Biennial, Sao Paulo
1995-1996
Summary, Museum of Contemporary Art, Belgrade

1996
Sava Sumanović, Yugoslav art gallery, Belgrade

1997
Pėrtej (co-author), Centre for Cultural Decontamination, Belgrade
Mica Popovic: Ceremony Pictur Now and Then – The inevitability of repetition, The exhibition which is never happened, Center for Cultural Decontamination, Belgrade

1998
Sreten Stojanović, Jugoslovenska galerija umetničkih dela, Beograd

1999
Vida Jocic, 'Appeal for Peace', Centre for Cultural Decontamination, Belgrade
Voices of the New Century, Chaos Gallery, Belgrade

2000
Dossier Serbien (co-author), Akademie der Künste, Berlin
En fin, Galerie de l'UNESCO, Paris

2001
Dossier Serbien (co-author), Academy of Fine Arts, Wien

2004
Old Now, Art Gallery of the Cultural Center of Belgrade, Belgrade