Ars Aevi Museum in Sarajevo Finally Gets Green Light After 30 Years

After more than thirty years of planning, the Ars Aevi Museum of Contemporary Art in Sarajevo has finally obtained its construction permit. This initiative, started in 1992 by Enver Hadžiomerspahić amid the Bosnian war, aimed to serve as a form of cultural resistance, with backing from Italian art institutions. By 2014, the museum's collection had grown to over 150 artworks, featuring pieces by renowned artists such as Michelangelo Pistoletto, Jannis Kounellis, and Anish Kapoor. Renzo Piano pledged to design the museum without charge in 1999, and a bridge to the site was inaugurated in 2002. Novo Sarajevo's mayor, Hasan Tanović, issued the permit on August 22, 2024, with funding from Italy's AICS and a UNESCO trust fund, following a tender that closed in April 2024. A virtual tour is also accessible online.