MoMA's Yugoslav Architecture Survey Reclaims Brutalist Legacy from Cold War Margins
From July 15, 2018, to January 13, 2019, the Museum of Modern Art in New York showcased 'Toward a Concrete Utopia: Architecture in Yugoslavia, 1948-1980.' Curated by Martino Stierli and Vladimir Kulić, this exhibition displayed over 400 items, including drawings, models, photographs, and videos, that illustrated the architectural landscape of Yugoslavia. It focused on the era following Yugoslavia's 1948 separation from the Soviet bloc until Josip Broz Tito's passing in 1980. Featured works comprised Andrija Mutnjaković's National and University Library of Kosovo (1971-82) and the Macedonian Opera and Ballet (1968-81). Additionally, the exhibition explored mass-housing initiatives and memorial architecture, such as Bogdan Bogdanović's monuments, while the catalog challenged the Western perspective on architectural history and referenced Ernst Bloch's idea of 'concrete utopia.'
Key facts
- Exhibition ran from July 15, 2018, to January 13, 2019, at the Museum of Modern Art, New York
- Curated by Vladimir Kulić and Martino Stierli
- Featured over 400 items including drawings, models, photographs, and videos
- Focused on Yugoslav architecture from 1948 to 1980
- Included works like the National and University Library of Kosovo by Andrija Mutnjaković
- Highlighted Yugoslavia's role in the Non-Aligned Movement founded in 1961
- Showcased global projects by firms like Energoprojekt in Nigeria
- Examined memorial architecture by Bogdan Bogdanović and others
Entities
Artists
- Iva Glisic
- Vladimir Kulić
- Martino Stierli
- Josip Broz Tito
- Joseph Stalin
- Aida Hozić
- Michael Bernhard
- Jan Kubic
- Andrija Mutnjaković
- Ivan Antić
- Ivanka Raspopović
- Miodrag B. Protić
- Mila Turajlić
- Kenzō Tange
- Milica Šterić
- Dinko Kovačić
- Mihajlo Zorić
- Edvard Ravnakar
- Juraj Neidhardt
- Bogdan Bogdanović
- Dušan Grabrijan
- Miodrag Živković
- Iskra Grabul
- Jordan Grabul
- Ernst Bloch
Institutions
- Museum of Modern Art
- MoMA
- ARTMargins Online
- United Nations
- Energoprojekt
- Turistkomerc
- Urban Planning Institute of Belgrade
- Museum of Contemporary Art in Belgrade
- National and University Library of Kosovo
- University of Priština
- Macedonian Opera and Ballet
- Biro 71
- Zenitist movement
Locations
- New York
- United States
- Belgrade
- Serbia
- Canberra
- Australia
- Yugoslavia
- Soviet Union
- Priština
- Kosovo
- Skopje
- Macedonia
- Nigeria
- Africa
- Middle East
- Zagreb
- Croatia
- Split
- Sarajevo
- Bosnia and Herzegovina
- Slovenia
- Japan
- Mostar
- Podgorica
- Visoko
- Tjentište
- Kruševo
- Mitrovica
- Cambridge
- MA
Sources
- ARTMargins —
- ARTMargins —