Museum of Contemporary Art (Skopje)

Not to be confused with Macedonian Museum of Contemporary Art in Thessaloniki, Greece.

Museum of Contemporary Art

Музеј на современата уметност (Macedonian) Muzeu i Artit Bashkëkohor (Albanian)
The main building
Established	1964; 61 years ago (1964)
Location	Skopje, North Macedonia
Type	Contemporary art museum
Founder	Socialist Republic of Macedonia
Website	msu.mk

The Contemporary Art Museum (Macedonian: Музеј на современата уметност, Albanian: Muzeu i Artit Bashkëkohor) is a contemporary art museum located in Skopje, North Macedonia. It is the biggest and most modern museum in the country. The museum was founded in 1963 following the disastrous earthquake that hit the city. Donated by the Polish Government, the museum was designed by the Polish architectural group "Tigers," who won a 1966 competition among over 80 entries.^[1] The building became one of the symbols of post-earthquake international solidarity efforts in Reconstruction of Skopje.^[1]

Collection

The collection is made up of two segments; international and national. The international segment of the collections reflects the modern art from almost all parts of the world. The larger part of the collection marks the art movements of the 1950s, 1960's and 1970s, although it contains also around a hundred works of the early modern art. The older exhibits are mainly highlighted by works of Emil Filla, Fernand Léger, and André Masson. The works of the internationally well-known artists are of special importance, such as Pablo Picasso, Hans Hartung, Victor Vasarely, Alexander Calder, Pierre Soulages, Alberto Burri, Christo, Tadeusz Kantor, Robert Jacobsen, Etienne Hajdu, Zoltan Kemeny, Jerzy Nowosielski, Robert Adams, Emilio Vedova, Jan Cybis, Antoni Clavé, and Georg Baselitz.^[2]

History

The museum was established in 1964, following the receipt of numerous art donations from artists and institutions around the world to the city of Skopje which was devastated in the earthquake in 1963.^[3] Under the slogan "Solidarity with Skopje," 35 countries, alongside the United Nations, donated artworks from renowned global artists.^[4]

Building

Located near the Skopje medieval fortress, the museum is an example of late modernist architecture and symbolizes the city's renewal after the 1963 earthquake.^[5] The building, covering 5,000 sq. m., was designed by Polish architects J. Mokrzynski, E. Wierzbicki, and W. Klyzewski and donated by the Government of the Polish People's Republic.^[5] The museum features three interconnected wings, offering 3,000 sq. m. of exhibition space, a 120-seat cinema, a library, archives, conservation facilities, and visitor amenities like a shop and café.^[5]

External links

Media related to Contemporary Art Museum (North Macedonia) at Wikimedia Commons

• Official Website (in English and Macedonian)

References

1. n.a. (n.d.). "Museum of Contemporary Art Skopje". Arhitectuul. Retrieved 22 December 2024.
2. "International Collection". Museum of Contemporary Art - Skopje, North Macedonia. Retrieved 13 August 2016.
3. n.a. (n.d.). "Museum of Contemporary Art - Skopje". International Committee for Museums and Collections of Modern Art (CiMAM). Retrieved 22 December 2024.
4. Arbresha Ibrahimi (1976). "MUSEUM ARCHITECTURE AS A TOOL FOR A SENSE OF IDENTITY IN SKOPJE". JAS - SUT Journal of Applied Sciences-SUT. 2023 (17–18).
5. n.a. (n.d.). "Museum of Contemporary Art". Visit Skopje. Retrieved 22 December 2024.

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