Dušan Janković: An Artist for a New Age

The exhibition “Dušan Janković: An Artist for a New Age “

Milica Zorić i Rodoljub Čolaković Gallery-Legacy

20 May – 27 June, 2016 (opening on Friday, 20 May 2016 at 7 p.m.) / every day from 12:00 to 20:00, except Tuesdays

Exhibition curator: Žaklina Ratković, Senior Curator

An authentic protagonist of the time he lived in, educated and dynamic, Dušan Janković (1894-1950) was an exceptionally versatile author, whose creativity manifested itself through various aspects of artistic activity. Until the retrospective exhibition held in Belgrade in 1965, his work was little known here, having in mind that he spent a great part of his life abroad, in France, and that he lived only for 56 years.

Apart from prints and drawing, as well as painting in the first years of his artistic activity, Dušan Janković also pursued different disciplines of applied art. He projected interiors and furniture, did graphic design for various kinds of publications, among which stands out the production and illustration of books, he designed posters, made designs for porcelain and ceramics, clothing items and designs for textile.

Besides the Museum of Contemporary Art, which holds thirty three Janković's works, his works can be found in the collections of the Museum of Applied Art, the National Museum in Belgrade, the Belgrade City Museum and private collections. The exhibition presents a selection of about 50 works from all periods of his career.

Dušan Janković was born in Niš in 1894. After joining the Serbian army in 1915, he crossed Albania, and arrived in France, where he spent a significant part of his life. From 1916 he lived in Paris, where he studied at the École Nationale Supérieure des artsDécoratifs from 1918 to 1921. The greatest number of his drawings, graphics and paintings was developed in France. Upon his return to Belgrade in 1935, he devoted himself to applied graphics and prints. In 1948 he became a part-time professor of applied graphics and decorative script at the Academy of Applied Arts in Belgrade. He died in Belgrade in 1950.