Chinese tourists might be the most studious travelers in the world, and the group most interested in history. No matter which country you visit, you're sure to see Chinese tourists in its museums.
This time in Belgrade, there are quite a few museums—just looking at history museums, there's the National Museum, the Museum of Yugoslavia (Tito Museum), and the Historical Museum of Serbia. The Museum of Yugoslavia mainly covers Yugoslav history, the Historical Museum of Serbia focuses on national history, and the most comprehensive one is the National Museum.
When I visited, there was a special exhibition from the Hebei Provincial Administration of Cultural Heritage, but since I was already here, I didn't go out of my way to see it.
The National Museum has three floors. The first floor is the history section. It features everything from Neolithic hunting and fishing civilization relics along the Danube to artifacts from the Roman provincial period, and then on to the Byzantine period.
The most distinctive items are the Stone Age pottery and Bronze Age implements. They are very different from what I've seen in East Asia, the Middle East, and North Africa. For example, there are cartoonish stone figures (very different from the steppe stone statues of the Asian grasslands), clear signs of fertility worship, pottery goddesses with large breasts and buttocks, and complete sets of gold and silver ware.
But the most spectacular artifacts are definitely from the Roman period. From bronze armor to exquisite pottery, various Roman stone columns, and sculptures, they are very artistic and make up the bulk of the collection.
The Byzantine period section mainly consists of religious content, such as fragments removed from monasteries like Studenica, Gračanica, and Mileševa, as well as fresco fragments.
The most impressive part of the National Museum of Serbia is actually the art collection on the second and third floors. The second floor mainly features paintings by local artists, while the third floor has many oil paintings by famous European masters: original works by Van Gogh, Monet, Picasso, Rembrandt, Botticelli, Bosch, Dürer, and Kandinsky. The quality of the collection is very strong for the Balkans.
[Local Artists]
When it comes to the premier Serbian historical painter, it has to be Paja Jovanović. He represents the pinnacle of the 19th-century Serbian academic school and excelled at grand historical oil paintings. The museum displays three of his classic works: "The Coronation of Emperor Dušan" (Image 1), "The Migration of the Serbs," and "The Proclamation of Dušan's Law Codex." The "Proclamation of Dušan's Law Codex" in particular is enlarged and placed right at the top of the stairs (Image 2; I don't think it's the original), so visitors see it as soon as they come up. It is said that this painting won a gold medal at the 1900 Paris World's Fair and was widely circulated in Europe before World War I. The museum's display intent is clear: to showcase national pride.
Additionally, there is Uroš Predić, an academic master on par with Paja Jovanović, with works like "The Kosovo Maiden" and "The Traitor." Surprisingly, there is also a female painter—Nadežda Petrović—whose works clearly have a feminine style.
[European Masters]
The museum also has the best oil painting collection in the Balkans. It is said that the core paintings come from the private collection of Erich Šlomović. This collection, including works by Monet, Van Gogh, Picasso, and Mondrian, used to be his. After searching for a long time, I mainly saw:
Monet: "Rouen Cathedral, Red Sunlight"
Van Gogh: "Peasant Woman"
Gauguin: "Tahitian Women"
A Picasso portrait, a Fauvist work by Matisse
Mondrian: "Composition II in Red, Blue, and Yellow"
There are also Impressionist works by Degas, Pissarro, Renoir, Bonnard, and others.
TIPS:
You can take photos with a camera in the museum, but video recording is not allowed.
Backpacks and similar items must be stored in the locker area on the first floor.
Following standard practice, the museum is closed on Mondays.
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