Jovan Despotović


Jovan Despotović is a Serbian art historian and art critic who lives in Belgrade.

Biography

Jovan Despotović was educated in The University of Belgrade,, SFR Yugoslavia, today Republic of Serbia.
From 2001 to 2004, Despotović was the Deputy Minister of Culture for the Republic of Serbia. He was also director for the protection of cultural heritage at the Coordination Center for Kosovo and Metohija. 2004–2014, he has been editor of the Cultural and Information Desk at Third Programme of Radio Belgrade and Radio-Television Serbia. 2014-2015 Despotović was Director of The Museum of Contemporary Art in Belgrade. Since 2015 he is Editor in Chef of Documentary program on Serbian Broadcasting Corporation. Since 2017. he is in pension.
Despotović was the Yugoslav Commissioner at the 7th International Small Sculpture Exhibition in Budapest, 1987, and the 22nd Biennale in São Paulo in 1994.

Area of interest

Despotović has published over 2,000 articles, critical reviews, and essays and is the founder and editor of numerous journals: Sveske, Vreme umetnosti, Treći program, Moment. His work has been translated into French, English, German, Finnish, Norwegian, Swedish, Greek, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Slovenian, Macedonian and Albanian.

New Now – New Wave

Published art criticism and articles since 1978. At the beginning of the 1980s, together with a group of young Serbian artists in Belgrade: Milovan Destil Marković, Vlasta Vulcano Mikic, Tahir Lusic, Nada Alavanja, Tafil Musović, Mrdjan Bajic, Slobodan Trajkovic etc., as an art critic, Despotović 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 Despotović contributed to this movement known as a New Image Painting to become very known in Serbia, former Yugoslavia and abroad.

Cultural policy

Despotović is interested in cultural policy, an active movement for political change and changes in arts and culture. The effort to establish a new, democratic order in the 1990s brought together many intellectuals, artists, NGOs, etc. For his contributions, Despotović was named Deputy Minister in the Ministry of Culture during Zoran Đinđić's term as prime minister. He has been involved in the protection of Serbia's cultural heritage, especially in Kosovo following the arrival of the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo.

Books and monographs (selection)

General SourcesNew Now, Umetnost osamdesetih, Art of the Eighties Vera Božičković Popović Svetomir Arsić-Basara Sava Šumanović Darija Kačić, Dubravka Duba Sambolec, Aneta Svetieva Slika i informacija 1945–1989, Srpska fotografija 1839–1989 Mića Popović – Drawings, 1941–1988 Zdravko Joksimovic Rezime, Summary Dragoslav Djordjević A Saudade de Anica Vučetić Sreten Stojanović Umetnost i angažovanost devedesetih, Art and the involvement of the nineties Restoration of art, reconstruction criticism: criticism of art of the eighties Vida Jocić – Apel za mir, Vida Jocic – Appeal for Peace Aktiver Widerstand, Zentrum für Kulturelle Dekontamination, Čedomir Vasiċ En fin Aktiver Widerstand, Zentrum für Kulturelle Dekontamination, Čedomir Vasiċ Regionalno univerzalno, Regional univerzal Da Fattori a Morandi e La vie mediterranee dell'icona cristiana Živko Grozdanić Gera, Svetomir Arsić Basara, Or a foreword inevitably intended as an epilogue Old Now Čedomir Vasić, Red data Book Led art 1993–2003 – Documents Nagrada za umetnost 'Mića Popović, Award for art Mića Popović Nova slika, New Image Painting Za bolji put Srbije, For a better way of Serbia Madlena, Slobodan Trajković, Metamorfoze, Slobodan Trajkovic, Metamorphosis Evgenija Demnievska, Discours sur les utopies du modernisme Nebojša Mitrić Vojin Stojić, život i delo, Vojin Stojić, life and work Nežno i čvrsto, Gently and firmly
  • Milovan Destil Marković, DeStil Marković and the 'New Image' of the Eighties Živko Grozdanić Gera, 'Meteorska kiša, Meteor Rain Od 'džakova oraja' do održivosti javne umetnosti, From 'sacks of walnuts' to sustainability of public art Živojin Turinski – Works 1958–1967 Umesto pogovora, Dosije Srbija – aktivizam devedesetih, Instead of the afterword, Dossier Serbia – activism of the nineties, Pažnja kritika, 50 godina Oktobarskog salona, Attention to criticism, 50 years of October Salon Ljubomir Erić, Kolekcija crteža, Art Collection Milena Jeftić Ničeva Kostić Pohvala stilu, Madlena, Decenije, Praise style, Madlena, Decades Džafo, Above and Below, Josif, Nune and Magnet, Slobodanka Stupar,, Odložba nije izložena, Kritičari su izabrali – Mrđan Bajić, Tahir Lušić, De Stil Marković, str.162-164; Kritičari na delu, str. 215–219; Kulturni centar Beograda, Beograd, The postponement was not presented, Critics chose - Mrđan Bajić, Tahir Lušić, De Stil Marković, pp. 162–164; Critics in Action, pp. 215–219; Belgrade Cultural Center, Belgrade, 2019 )

Art

Sintetički pejsaži, Synthetic Landscapes Otvorena umetnost, Open art Žestoki potezi bojom, Furious paint strokes Beogradsko novo slikarstvo, Belgrade new painting O dva posebna aspekta Postmodernizma, On two aspects of Postmodernism Od tradicionalnog do Postmodernog, From Traditional to Postmodernism Aux maniere fin de siècle Umetnost osamdesetih: postmoderna u znaku osporavanja i/ili afirmacije, Art in eighties: postmodern challenges to the sign and/or affirmation Slobodan Trajković, Širenje saznanja o jugoslovenskoj kulturi, Slobodan Trajkovic, Spreading knowledge of Yugoslav culture Izmedju umetnosti i kiča, Between art and kitsch Beograd osamdesetih – Pigmalionova maska ili Edipovo karakter, Belgrade eighties – Pygmalion mask or character of Oedipus Policentrične mutecije – novosti i ponavljanja, Polycentric mutations – News and repetition Bez nazova: geometrija, No name: Geometry Vladimir Veličković Fotografija i savremena umetnost, , Photography and contemporary art, Verbumprogram AG, Skulptura identiteta: Jedan primer – Mrdjan Bajić, Sculpture of identity: An example – Mrdjan Bajic Mladi beogradski skulptori, Young Belgrade sculptors Materialità – Geometry field Forma occidit Istočna paradigma u Beogradu, Eastern paradigm in Belgrade Nacionalna tema u savremenom srpskom slikarstvu – Uvod, National issue in contemporary Serbian painting – Introduction Na iskustvima memorije, Experiences of Memory Pametni mediji, Smart Media Od mekog pisam do stroge misli, From soft letters to rigid thinking Postmoderni dijalog, Postmodern dialogue Pozni modernizam, Late modernism Marina Abramović, „Fin de siecle“ – Balkan variant Quadrifolium criticus Prostorni narativi, Spatial Narratives Jezik novo stvaralaštva, Language of New Creativity Art Advertising Virtual crossover, Glasovi novog veka, Voices of the New Century Sedam teza o novoj srpskoj skulpturi, Seven theses of recent Serbian sculpture Strastvena pažnja kritičara, Passionate critical attention Mirko Ilić Neomodernističke utopije, Neo-modernist utopia O normalnosti – umetnost u Srbiji 1989–2001, On Normality – Art in Serbia 1989–2001 Bernar Deloš: ’Virtuelni muzej’, Bernard Deloche, Le musée virtuel Vreme imaginarnih muzeja, Time of Imaginary Museum Rasap umetnosti, rasap kritike: Kritika umetnosti devedesetih, Teze za tekst,, Dissolution of Art, Dissolution of Criticism: Art Criticism in the Nineties, Guidelines for a text Umetnost dezorijentacije, Arts of disorientation Slikarstvo surovosti, Painting of brutality Ideja projekta i posmoderna paradigma, The idea of the project and Postmodern paradigm Dimenzioni radovi, Dimensional Works De Stil Marković i Novo slikarstvo osamdesetih I-III, De Stil Marković and New Image Painting of Eighties I-III Tumačenje enformela, Branko Protić, dela 1956–1966, Interpretation of informel, Branko Protić, works 1956–1966 Andre Gob and Noemi Druge, Museology Originalno kao neostvareni cilj umetnosti, Originally as an unfulfilled goal of art Muzejska institucija, Museum institution Četiri muzejska predmeta, ''Four museum objects''

Cultural policy

Umetnost – politika – ideologija, Art – politics – ideology Evropski govoriti, European speaking Muzej Savremene umetnosti u raljam levog i desnog totalitarizma, Kultura vlasti, Index smena i zabrana ''I, Museum of Contemporary Art in the arms of left and right totalitarianism, The culture of government, and prohibition of dismissal, Index I'' Ratna muzeologija, War museology Kultura jeste pobuna, Culture is a rebellion Beograd: barikade za bodočnost Rasulo u Muzeju savremene umetnosti, Chaos at the Museum of Contemporary Art Opozorila novi mestni oblasti Umetnost i angažovanost, Art and commitment Arti i rezistenës Gjurmë Umetnost Druge Srbije, Art of the Second Serbia Kelneri i sobarice Njihovog režima, Waiters and chambermaids of Their regime Kulturno strančarenje, Cultural factions Off-artistic scene Individualna kultura protesta, Individual culture of protest Proti državi kiča Sistematski organizovana nebriga, Systematically organized neglect Sudjenje umetničkim slobodama, The trial of artistic freedom Umetnost u raljama dnevne politike, Art in the jaws of daily politics Kulturna Yu alternativa – represija i izazovi, Cultural YU alternative – Repression and Challenges Dosije Srbija, Dossie Serbia Kulturna politika i kulturna strategija, Cultural Policy and Cultural Strategy Merenje realnosti devedesetih, Measuring the reality of the nineties Baština kao obaveza nacionalne politike, Heritage as a national policy commitments Neka pitanja kulturne politike, Some questions of cultural policy Odbrana napadnute umetnosti, The defense of attacked Arts Predvodnik revolucionarnih obrata, Leader of the revolutionary reversal Zaštita kulturne baštine na Kosovu i Metohiji, Protection of cultural heritage on Kosovo and Metoh Kulturna politika i tranzicija I-VIII, Cultural policy and the transition I-VIII Očuvanje kulturne baštine, Preservation of cultural heritage Zaštita nezaštićenog, Privacy unprotected Evropski govoriti, ''European speaking Slika politike – kulturno-politička hronika devedesetih, Image of politics – a cultural-political chronicle of the nineties''

International art

Tatljinov spomenik Trećoj internacionali, Tatlin's The Monument to the Third International Ideja i praksa ruskog konstruktivizma, The idea and practice of Russian Constructivism Étienne-Jules Marey ''Fotografija pokreta, Pictures of Movement Giulio Carlo Argan: Studije o modernoj umetnosti, Studies on modern art Bill Brandt, Fotografije, Photos Majstori svetskog slikarstva iz kolekcije dr Armana Hamera, Masters of world painting from the collection of Dr. Armand Hammer William Klein Emilio Vedova Hans Hartung Max Beckmann Renato Guttuso Ivan Meštrović, sculptures 1898–1918 Man Ray Jan Dibbets Georges Braque August Sander Max Beckmann, graphics 1911–1946 Renato Guttuso, graphics Man Ray – Fotografije nove vizije vremena, Photos of a new vision of time Julio González Georg Baselitz Danski umetnici grupe COBRA, Danish artists from group COBRA Max Bill Himna finskom graditeljstvu, Anthem Finnish architecture Robert Mapplethorpe Hans Hartung Vizuelni poziv Barija Flanagana, Visual call of Barry Flanagan Dan Reisinger: Spisi o vatri, Writings on fire Tatljinov Spomenik i nova umetnost, Tatlin's Tower and the new art Christian Attersee Le Corbusier Urbane predstave Kita Heringa, Urban mages of Keith Haring Nemačka propagandna fotografija 1925–1988, Germany advertising photogrfaphy 1925–1988 Otvoreno delo Marsela Dišana, Open Work of Marcel Duchamp Manifesta I Advertising Novi Muzej savremene umetnosti u Njujorku, The new Museum of Modern Art in New York City Stedelijk Museum Dan Reisinger Christian Attersee Giulio Carlo Argan, Achille Bonito Oliva: 'Moderna umetnost 1770-1970-2000', Modern art 1770-1970-2000 Dezorijetacija – mladi britanski umetnici I-III, Disorientation – Young British Artists'' I-III

Curatorial exhibitions (selection)

General sourcesNew Now Umetnost osamdesetih, The art of the eighties Jugoslavian Nykytaidetta Jugoslavisk Nutidskonst 7 th International Small Sculpture Exhibition of Budapest Slika i informacija 1945–1989, Picture and information 1945–1989 22nd Sao Paulo Biennale Rezime, Summary Sava Šumanović Pėrtej Sreten Stojanović Umetnost i angažovanost devedesetih, Art and the involvement of the nineties Vida Jocić, Apel za mir, Appeal for Peace Glasovi novog veka, Voices of the New Century Dossier Serbien En fin Dossier Serbien Old Now Živojin Turinski – Works 1958–1967,

Awards

Co-founder
Winner
  • 2000 Belgrade, Award Lazar Trifunović for fundamental work in art criticism and the text in the catalog, 'En fin', held at the Gallery of UNESCO, Paris, 1999

Membership

1986 International Association of Art Critics

Articles