Continuities and Interruptions

To mark the 70th anniversary of the anthological exhibition Salon 54, the Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art in Rijeka presents an exhibition on Rijeka’s Salons (1954–1963), as a contribution to the research and contextualization of these recurring exhibitions.

Continuities and Interruptions

Marking the 70th anniversary of Salon 54 and the decade of Salon exhibitions in Rijeka

17 Oct 2024 – 2 Feb 2025,

exhibition opening: 17 Oct 2024, 19:00

To mark the 70th anniversary of the anthological exhibition Salon 54, the Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art in Rijeka presents an exhibition on Rijeka’s Salons (1954–1963), as a contribution to the research and contextualization of these recurring exhibitions. The aim is to draw a greater attention to this biennial event that had five editions, by embedding it more deeply into narratives that extend beyond the confines of the local context. This reserch-based exhibition, as a retrospective on decades of Rijeka’s Salons, intertwines the history of the exhibitions with that of the institution, while also examining their reception. It opens up an extended field for exploring the relationships between ideology and aesthetics, the polemics of the time, the dynamics of power, and the center-periphery relation in artistic and political events. The first Salon wanted to affirm new art phenomena and the emerging generation of artists, being the first exhibition held officially at the Yugoslav state level to showcase abstract art, with a particular focus on geometric abstraction and the works of the EXAT 51 group. The first Salon, held in 1954, demonstrated quite early that it would turn into a very broad liberal stage where results and experiments could be shown that were not so gladly seen in ‘representative’ exhibitions (Radoslav Putar, “Salon 56 u Rijeci”, Narodni list, 12 Sept 1956).

Continuities and Interruptions exhibition includes works from the Museum collections, mostly painting and sculpture, which correspond with artworks exhibited at the Salons. Along with several loaned works, it presents an overview of documentation, photographs, archival materials, and didactic texts, aiming to provide a broader perspective on the Salon events.

Salon exhibitions chronicled the history of the institution, including the intentions of its exhibition program, its aspirations for internationalization, networking and cultural exchange, reflections of changes in perceptions of art, and, finally, the Museum’s ongoing quest for space. The MMSU has moved from the Governor’s Palace (Salon 54) to the building in Dolac street (Salons 56, 59, 61, 63), ultimately settling in the today’s Museum, situated within the former industrial complex Rikard Benčić. Throughout this period, the Museum also underwent several name changes, mirroring shifts in the understanding of art – from the Gallery of Fine Arts, through the Modern Gallery, to the Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art.

Continuities and Interruptions tackle some of the questions that arise when exploring the history of exhibitions. These include: how to examine the ways in which exhibitions are rooted in their originating environment, how and to what extent they influence the work and organization of artistic institutions, how they contribute to shaping cultural influences, and how they relate to the ideological and economic frameworks that govern the world of art.

Among 162 artists that took part in the five Salon exhibitions held in Rijeka from 1954 to 1963, on this occasion the Museum presents the following: Kosta Angeli Radovani, Vojin Bakić, Janez Bernik, Janez Boljka, Ivo Dulčić, Dušan Džamonja, Oton Gliha, Ivan Generalić, Krsto Hegedušić, Oskar Herman, Ljubo Ivančić, Olga Jančić, Olga Jevrić, Leo Junek, Ivo Kalina, Julije Knifer, Gabrijela Kolar, Ivan Kožarić, Vlado Kristl, Ferdinand Kulmer, Mila Kumbatović, Stevan Luketić, Milorad Bata Mihailović, Antun Motika, Edo Murtić, Zoran Mušič, Petar Omčikus, Šime Perić, Ivan Picelj, Zlatko Prica, Ordan Petlevski, Zoran Petrović, Miodrag Mića Popović, Božidar Rašica, Branko Ružić, Đuro Seder, Ivan Sabolić, Jakov Smokvina, Lojze Spacal, Aleksandar Srnec, Miljenko Stančić, Frano Šimunović, Sava Šumanović, Marino Tartaglia, Drago Tršar, Vladimir Udatny.

Curated by: Kristina Barišić, Branka Benčić, Ksenija Orelj, Diana Zrilić
Expert advisor: Ljiljana Kolešnik (Institute of Art History, Zagreb)
Exhibition and catalogue design: Parabureau

The exhibition is organized in collaboration with the Institute of Art History. Loans: National Museum of Modern Art, Zagreb; Museum of Contemporary Art, Zagreb; Vugrinec Gallery, Zagreb; Art Collection of the City of Pula. Acknowledgments: National Museum of Serbia, Belgrade; Visual Arts Archive of the Croatian Academy of Sciences and Arts, Zagreb; Croatian Radiotelevision.

The exhibition will be accompanied by a publication featuring texts by Ljiljana Kolešnik, Lidija Butković-Mićin, Branka Benčić, Ksenija Orelj and Diana Zrilić.