Žiča Spiritual Assembly “Transfiguration 2024” is an important cultural event whose goal is to nurture, study and affirm the values of our national culture. The program of the Assembly begins with a ceremonial opening in the National Museum Kraljevo with two exhibitions of respected national cultural institutions: “Inspired by Italy” of the Gallery of Matica Srpska in Novi Sad and “Cities: A Certain view. From the Collection of Graphics by Foreign Authors of the National Museum of Serbia”.

The exhibition is dedicated to Serbian-Italian cultural and artistic ties, that is, to Serbian artists who found role models and incentives for their creativity in the artistic tradition of Italy. The Italian "experiences" of Serbian artists during the 19th and 20th centuries are visually represented by the selection of works of art from the collection of the Gallery of Matica Srpska.

The thematic backbone of the exhibition is represented by the presentation of the city as a key place where modern culture and art began and developed dramatically and rapidly, first at the transition from the 18th to the 19th and then from the 19th to the 20th century. In fine art from the 17th century, the motif of the city was represented to the greatest extent in printed graphics, whether it was individual prints or graphic maps with topographic representations of different places.

It is the fourth gathering of researchers from the fields of history, political science, law and philology organized by the National Museum Kraljevo with the support of the Faculty of Law of the University of Belgrade and the Institute for Political Studies from Belgrade. During the two days of the conference, on August 17th and 18th, 2024, twenty scientists will present their works.

Guided tour through the exhibition “Inspired by Italy” of the Gallery of Matica Srpska gives a complete insight into Serbian-Italian cultural and artistic ties, following the work of Serbian artists of the 19th and 20th centuries who shaped their artistic works under the influence of the art of the Apennine Peninsula. Art historian Jelena Marković will guide you through the experience of artists who drew inspiration from the Italian artistic tradition.

What did Predić write about in his “Journal”, what was his attitude towards European art, as well as his opinion on historical figures and people he met, what remarks did he have during his great trip to Italy, the discovery lecture of art historian Snežana Mišić, PhD, museum adviser and deputy director of the Gallery of Matica Srpska Gallery.

Guided tour through the exhibition “Cities: A Certain View. From the Collection of Graphics by Foreign Authors of the National Museum of Serbia” will provide visitors with a comprehensive insight into the development and transformation of the depiction of urban landscapes in graphics. Art historian Jelena Marković will guide you through this transformation from accurate and documentary representations to innovative and subjective approaches inspired by impressionism and post-impressionism.

The thematic guidance through the exhibition “Inspired Italy” of the Gallery of Matica Srpska, refers to the topic “Copying the Old Masters”. Art historian Jelena Marković will guide you through the part of the exhibition that relates to the tradition of copying as an important approach for transferring style, knowledge and artistic values from generation to generation

How the film director and screenwriter Paolo Sorrentino uses art as a powerful tool for shaping the film story, and what is baroque in his ideas and constructing the narrative, find out during the lecture by Nikola Ivanović, MA, art historian and curator of the Gallery of Matica Srpska.

Thematic guidance through the exhibition “Cities: A Certain View. From the Collection of Graphics by Foreign Authors of the National Museum of Serbia” refers to the topic “Metamorphosis of Cities”. Art historian Jelena Marković will guide you through the story of the comprehensive transformation of cities, which has been recorded in works of art.

The thematic guidance through the exhibition “Inspired by Italy” of the Gallery of Matica Srpska, refers to the theme “Grand Tour to Italy”. Art historian Jelena Marković will guide you through the part of the exhibition related to the study trips of Serbian artists and their tours of cultural and historical landmarks in Italy.

What are the places that Njegoš visited, how did he experience Italian landscapes, cities and artifacts, what did he see and what were his choices for observing and observing in abundance that he encountered during his travels, will be revealed in the lecture by Saša Brajović, PhD professor at the Department of Art History of the Faculty of Philosophy of the University of Belgrade.