9. 2019 – 19. 10. 2019.

The First Gymnasium in Sarajevo is the oldest high school in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The National Gallery of BiH is the oldest art museum in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Some of the most important artists from Bosnia and Herzegovina have passed through the First Gymnasium – as students, teachers or both.

The collection of the National Gallery of BiH holds the works of the most important BiH artists.

The First Gymnasium is located close to the National Gallery of BiH and decades of good cooperation connect us.

In the spirit of the most beautiful Bosnian customs, we present our neighbours, for their grand jubilee – 140 years of existence, with an exhibition of works by their students and teachers, which are also the artists from our collection.

The exhibition comes after six-month research in the archives of the National Gallery of BiH, Sarajevo City Library, and Sarajevo Historical Archives. The years from its foundation to the beginning of World War II were almost completely covered. There are several reasons for this time frame but the most important ones are the character of the collection of the National Gallery collection and limited exhibition space.

Although one cannot state that this exhibition treats all the artists associated with the First Gymnasium, due to the lack of material for some years, it can be safely confirmed that all of the featured artists attended the First gymnasium, taught there or, like Branko Šotra, were both students and teachers.

Since its founding, the First Gymnasium has been an indispensable part of the city’s history, and its significance for the cultural history of Bosnia and Herzegovina is enormous.

This exhibition is testimony to that.