I enjoy creating and spreading knowledgeable content for everyone around the world and try my best not to leave even the smallest of mistakes go unnoticed.
From 2001–2004, 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 on Serbian Broadcasting Corporation.
Despotović is a well-known presence in Belgrade’s art and culture scene, which includes the Open Society Institute, Center for Cultural Decontamination and the Auction House Madl’Art. Prepared by 300 authors show in Serbia, former Yugoslavia and abroad. He 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 is an art historian with wide-ranging interests in contemporary and recent arts. He has published over 2,000 articles, critical reviews, and essays and is the founder and editor of numerous journals: Sveske (edition Association of Art Historians of Serbia), Vreme umetnosti (special supplement of the Vreme weekly), Treći program (edition Radio Belgrade), 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 (Nova Slika) to become very known in Serbia, former Yugoslavia and abroad.
Cultural policy
Since the turn of the nineteenth to twentieth century, Despotović has been extremely 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 made a lasting contribution to the renewal of institutions, ministerial staffing, legislation of cultural activities and increased international cooperation. A special area of interest for him was the advancement of contemporary artistic production and the institutions engaged in it. He has made a significant contribution to the protection of Serbia’s cultural heritage, especially in Kosovo following the arrival of the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo.
Sava Šumanović (Jugoslovenska galerija umetničkih dela, Beograd, 1986) ISBN 978-86-82857-01-3
Darija Kačić, Dubravka Duba Sambolec, Aneta Svetieva (7th International Small Sculpture Exhibition of Budapest, Budapest, 1987, p.p. 138–139) ISBN 978-963-7402-07-4
Slika i informacija 1945–1989, Srpska fotografija 1839–1989 (Picture and information 1945–1989, Serbian photography 1839–1989, as co-author, Galerija SANU, Beograd, 1991, p.p. 122–126)
A Saudade de Anica Vučetić (Museu de Arte Contemporanea da Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, 1995–1996)
Sreten Stojanović (Jugoslovenska galerija umetničkih dela, Beograd, 1998)
Umetnost i angažovanost devedesetih, Art and the involvement of the nineties (20 memorijal 'Nadežde Petrović', Umetnička galerija 'Nadežda Petrović', Čačak, 1998)
Restoration of art, reconstruction criticism: criticism of art of the eighties (as co-author, The art at the end of the century I, “Clio”, Beograd, 1998, p.p. 117–139, 316–329)
Vida Jocić – Apel za mir, Vida Jocic – Appeal for Peace (Centar za kulturnu dekontaminaciju, Beograd, 1999)
Aktiver Widerstand, Zentrum für Kulturelle Dekontamination, Čedomir Vasiċ (as co-author,Dossier Serbien, Akademie der Künste, Berlin, 2000, p.p. 16–19, 32–34, 60)
Da Fattori a Morandi e La vie mediterranee dell'icona cristiana (preface, Narodni muzej, Beograd, 2001, La Collezione Grieco, Pinacoteca Provinciale, Bari, 2002, p. 7) ISBN 978-88-7329-017-9
Živko Grozdanić Gera, (as co-author, Umetnička galerija “Nadežda Petrović”, Čačak, Centar za savremenu kulturu Konkordija, Vršac, Greelery Square Gallery, New York City, 2002, p.p. 50–53)
Svetomir Arsić Basara, Or a foreword inevitably intended as an epilogue (preface, Srpska akademija nauka i umetnosti, Beograd, Narodna i univerzitetska biblioteka 'Ivo Andrić', Priština, 2004, p.p. 06-09) ISBN 978-86-7935-076-3
Old Now (Kulturni centar Beograda, Beograd, 2004) ISBN 978-86-84235-15-4
Čedomir Vasić, Red data Book (Umetnička galerija “Nadežda Petrović”, Čačak, 2004) ISBN 978-86-83783-08-3
Led art 1993–2003 – Documents (as co-author, Multimedijalni centar LED ART, Novi Sad, 2004, p.p. 19, 20, 169–172, 195–198, 240, 241)
Nagrada za umetnost 'Mića Popović', Award for art Mića Popović (as co-author, 10 godina Galerije Haos, Umetnički paviljon “Cvijeta Zuzorić”, Beograd, 2005, p.p. 53–60) ISBN 978-86-906951-0-2
Nova slika, New Image Painting (“Clio”, Beograd, 2006) ISBN 978-86-7102-236-1
Za bolji put Srbije, For a better way of Serbia (as co-author, Demokratska stranka, Centar resornih odbora, Beograd, 2006, p.p. 414–415, 671–674) ISBN 978-86-7856-001-9
Evgenija Demnievska, Discours sur les utopies du modernisme (Umetnički paviljon “Cvijeta Zuzorić”, Beograd, 2007) ISBN 978-86-82765-45-5
Nebojša Mitrić (as co-author, Spomen zbirka Pavla Beljanskog, Novi Sad, 2007, p. 117) ISBN 978-86-906563-6-3
Vojin Stojić, život i delo, Vojin Stojić, life and work (as co-author, “Apostrof”, Beograd, 2007, p.p. 45–50) ISBN 978-86-7634-092-7
Nežno i čvrsto, Gently and firmly (Galerija Zvono, Beograd, 2008)
Milovan Destil Marković, DeStil Marković and the 'New Image' of the Eighties (as co-author, Umetnička galerija “Nadežda Petrović”, Čačak, 2008, p.p. 49–55) ISBN 978-86-83783-25-0
Živko Grozdanić Gera, 'Meteorska kiša', Meteor Rain (as co-author, Simptomi singularizacije, Symptoms of singularisation, Biro za kulturu i komunikaciju, Vršac, 2008, p.p. 46–47) ISBN 978-86-907379-3-2
Od 'džakova oraja' do održivosti javne umetnosti, From 'sacks of walnuts' to sustainability of public art (as co-author, Skulptura u urbanom prostoru, Sculpture in urban space, “Visart”, Novi Sad, 2008, p.p. 40–51) ISBN 978-86-911911-0-8
Živojin Turinski – Works 1958–1967 (Kulturni centar Beograda, Beograd, 2009) ISBN 978-86-7996-033-7
Umesto pogovora, Dosije Srbija – aktivizam devedesetih, Instead of the afterword, Dossier Serbia – activism of the nineties, (afterword Serbian edition in Collectivism after modernism, “University of Minnesota Press”, Minneapolis, 2007, ISBN 978-0-8166-4461-2, “Clio”, Beograd, 2010, p.p. 355–375) ISBN 978-86-7102-376-4
Pažnja kritika, 50 godina Oktobarskog salona, Attention to criticism, 50 years of October Salon (Kulturni centar Beograda, Beograd, 2009, p.p. 334–336, 436–438, 438–440) ISBN 978-86-7996-035-1
Ljubomir Erić, Kolekcija crteža, Art Collection (“Arhipelag”, Beograd, 2010) ISBN 978-86-86933-67-6
Milena Jeftić Ničeva Kostić (ULUS, Beograd, 2010) ISBN 978-86-82765-62-2
Pohvala stilu, Madlena, Decenije, Praise style, Madlena, Decades (as co-author, Zepter Book Word, Beograd, 2010, pp. 75–79) ISBN 978-86-7494-117-1
Džafo, (as co-author, Muzej savremene likovne umetnosti Vojvodine, Novi Sad, 2011) ISBN 978-86-84773-80-9
Above and Below, (preface, Slobodanka Stupar, Subjectil is Subjectil, Prodajna galerija “Beograd”, Belgrade, 2011) ISBN 978-86-6141-014-7
Josif, (Josif Vidojković, “Intelekta”, Valjevo, 2011) ISBN 978-86-7072-056-5
Nune and Magnet, (“Museum of Contemporary Art of Vojvodina”, Novi Sad, 2011) ISBN 978-86-84773-86-1
Slobodanka Stupar, (“Sales Gallery 'Belgrade'”, Belgrade, 2013), ISBN 978-86-6141-047-5
Curatorial exhibitions (selection)
General sources
New Now (Galerija “Pinki”, Beograd, May to June 1982)
Umetnost osamdesetih, The art of the eighties (as co-author, Muzej savremene umetnosti, Beograd, June to August 1983)
Jugoslavian Nykytaidetta (as co-author, Alvar Aalto museet, Oslo, April 1984)
Jugoslavisk Nutidskonst (as co-author, Taidehalli, Helsinki, May 1984)
7 th International Small Sculpture Exhibition of Budapest (Palace of Exhibitions, Budapest, November to December 1987) ISBN 978-963-7402-07-4
Slika i informacija 1945–1989, Picture and information 1945–1989 (Galerija SANU, Beograd, January to March 1991)
22nd Sao Paulo Biennale (São Paulo, October to December 1994)
Rezime, Summary (Muzej savremene umetnosti, Beograd, 1995–1996) ISBN 978-86-7101-094-8
Sava Šumanović (Jugoslovenska galerija umetničkih dela, Beograd, July to August 1996) ISBN 978-86-82857-01-3
Pėrtej (as co-author, Centar za kulturnu dekontaminaciju, Beograd, April 1997)
Sreten Stojanović (Jugoslovenska galerija umetničkih dela, Beograd, 1998)
Umetnost i angažovanost devedesetih, Art and the involvement of the nineties (20 memorijal “Nadežde Petrović”, Umetnička galerija “Nadežda Petrović”, Čačak, 1998)
Vida Jocić, Apel za mir, Appeal for Peace (Centar za kulturnu dekontaminaciju, Beograd, April 1999)
Glasovi novog veka, Voices of the New Century (Galerija Haos, Beograd, May to June 1999) ISBN 978-86-906951-0-2
Dossier Serbien (as co-author, Akademie der Künste, Berlin, November to December 2000)
En fin (Galerie de l'UNESCO, Paris, December 2000)
Dossier Serbien (as co-author, Akademie der Bildenden Künste, Wien, January to February 2001)
Old Now (Likovna galerija Kulturnog centra Beograda, Beograd, January 2004) ISBN 978-86-84235-15-4
Živojin Turinski – Works 1958–1967, (as co-author, Likovna galerija Kulturnog centra Beograda, Beograd, September 2009) ISBN 978-86-7996-033-7
Awards
Co-founder
1992 Belgrade, Award Lazar Trifunović (for the best theoretical work, art critic or a book in the field of art and visual creativity)
1997 Belgrade, Award Mića Popović (for individuals who are critical active as artists and engaged intellectuals)
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
