May 18 – June 18, 2019, Museum of Literature and Performing Arts of Bosnia and Herzegovina

Iva Despić Simonović was the first female sculptor in Bosnia and Herzegovina, a woman who was successful both as an artist and as a mother during the time when women were given different roles. Her sculptures testify of her extraordinary talent and skills, and her personality – real, dedicated, gentle and graceful.

Iva Despić Simonović (Hrastovica kod Petrinje, Croatia, 1891 – Sarajevo, BiH, 1961) took the women’s art course at the Trades School in Zagreb, and when the course was shut down, she enrolled at the Art School. She opted for department of sculpture, though it was unusual for women at that time. Her professors were Robert Frangeš Mihanović and Rudolf Valdec. As an extremely talented and diligent person, she immediately attracted the attention of professors and the public. In 1910 she exhibited for the first time. The exhibition was held in the Art Salon, her works were displayed along with the works of her school colleague Ljubo Babić. After Zagreb, she continued the education in Munich and Paris.

The exhibition opening will be held on May 18 at 8 pm in the Museum of Literature and Performing Arts of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The exhibition by the National Gallery of Bosnia and Herzegovina is organised as part of the Sarajevo History Book – Guidelines for Women Heritage project funded in part by a grant from the United States Department of State United States Embassy to Bosnia and Herzegovina and in collaboration with the Museum of Literature and Performing Arts of Bosnia and Herzegovina and History Museum of Bosnia and Herzegovina. This specific exhibition venue was chosen because it was a house in which Iva Despić once lived.