Dobri100 Bristol Sarajevo: About the project 

Help us raise funds for a project to celebrate the life and work of Bosnian and British artist Dobrivoje Beljkasic (1923 - 2023), marking 100th anniversary of his birth. Dobri dedicated his life to art and art education. He was an accomplished artist and educator in former Yugoslavia, but after his studio perished in the catastrophic fire of the National Library in Sarajevo in August 1992, he and his wife found a safe haven in Britain. While in Wiltshire and Bristol, Dobri and Gordana started to recover and recuperate. Having thought that his artistic life was over, Dobri gradually started to paint again. He was inspired by the landscapes and people of Wiltshire, Bristol and other parts of the UK, carrying his old home still in his heart. He contributed to the cultural life of his former and new home.

Dobri100 Bristol Sarajevo project is a unique collaboration between the National Gallery of Bosnia and Herzegovina, City Museum of Sarajevo, the artist's daughter Dragana Smart, Bridging Histories, a social justice education project based in Bristol, and other partners. 

Your kind donation will contribute towards one or more of the following elements:

1. The exhibition that marks 100th anniversary of Dobri's birth will be held between 26 October and 9 November at the National Gallery of Bosnia and Herzegovina in Sarajevo. This will include some never-seen-before artworks, alongside others held in the museum and private collections. Dobri's bequest of several works for the permanent collections of the National Gallery of Bosnia and Herzegovina and Museum of Sarajevo will also be exhibited. Funding is needed for picture framing, technical work, information panels, transport and exhibition marketing materials.

2. Educational activities in Sarajevo and Bristol will accompany the exhibition, with some  planned for the winter 2023 and some for spring 2024.  They include talks, gallery tours and workshops for primary and secondary schools, young adults with special needs and for third age groups. Funding is needed towards the costs of materials, school bus transport and outreach.

3. Catalogue: A substantial catalogue will accompany the exhibition, including contributions from Bosnian and British authors in both languages. It will also include selected images of Dobri's artworks and family photos that have never been published before. Funding is needed towards the costs of design, printing and publishing.

4.An Alternative Archive - reimagining a public archive by crowdsourcing images of the surviving artworks held in private collections across the globe. Go to our Instagram page https://rb.gy/p3k8s to upload images and find out more. 

5. Animation (planned for 2023/24), based on one of Beljkasic's most favourite and poignant paintings that perished in the fire.

Limited edition giclée prints

In the 100th anniversary year we are launching a range of high quality limited edition giclée prints of carefully selected images of Beljaksic's work. Each edition will be limited to 100 prints to echo this big anniversary.  Printed on museum quality paper, each A3 giclée print will come with a certificate of authenticity. All proceeds from choosing one of these rewards will go towards the costs of the project. Selected by popular vote, the four images you see on the right side of this page (or further down, if you are using your mobile device) are available as limited edition prints.

How you can help

The project costs £10,903 (30530 KM). We are delighted that we have already received pledges amounting to 74% of the funds needed but need to raise another £2800.

You can support us by:

- giving a donation of your choice for no reward. Every little helps (e.g. £15 will cover the costs of workshop materials; £20 will go towards school bus transport).

- selecting a giclée print as a reward  (this donation will go towards the costs of teacher packs; framing, the production of the information panels, catalogue etc.) - Go to Rewards on the right, or scroll down if you are using a mobile device.

If you have any questions, please email us at Dobri100sjj@gmail.com.

The prints will be posted after the exhibition closes, in November/December 2023. Postage to your destination is included in the cost of the reward.  We regret that we are unable to process refunds or returns. In the unlikely event of damage in transit, we will endeavour to provide a replacement at an additional reprint and postage cost. All transactions are donations given for charitable purposes.

All funds raised through Fundsurfer will be used to cover the cost of Dobri100 project. Any remaining funds will be donated to the National Gallery of Bosnia & Herzegovina and to arts education projects in Sarajevo and Bristol.