Gallery of Naive Art Kovacica
„…The painting of the naive artists of Kovacica is the unique and highly distinguished phenomenon. As per its themes and artistic expression, scholars find the naive art of Kovacica artisans among the poetical and realistic painting. The real village is clearly depicted on paintings of those authors, but in a poetic spirit. The naive artists of Kovacica paint magic scenes from their childhood and youth, the surrounding environment, local people in daily work and when relax, in various rural occasions that are connected with customs and habits, deeply rooted into the traditions and the folklore. This is the nucleus of their artistic expression, mostly presented on their oil painting, where each of the Kovacica artists had reached own thematic scope and personal artistic expression...“ Jan Cicka
The Gallery of Naive arts in Kovacica was established on the 15th May 1955 when self-taught local artisans decided to gift at least one of their paintings to the collection, in order to form the painting fund. The establishment of the Center of culture of Kovačica granted the first floor of its structure for the Gallery of Naive arts, so during time there were more paintings within the collection. In the seventies of the 20th century the cooperation with the National Museum of Pancevo had started, whose experts and art historians contributed to the treatment and elaborateness of the naive artisan register.
Since the January 2009 the Gallery of Naive arts works as the independent institution. In the Gallery of the Naive arts there are various cultural events organized, of which the most important is the traditional exhibition of painters called the Kovačički oktobar – October of Kovacica. At present, the Gallery of Naive arts in Kovacica features a structure which houses 821 naive paintings, surrounded with the ateliers of the local naive painters of Kovacica.
The significant role in presentation and promotion of the artistic life of Slovaks in Vojvodina was particularly achieved by representatives of the Kovacica naive painters – Martin Jonaš, Zuzana Chalupova, Jan Knjazovic, Martin Paluška, Jan Sokol and Jan Venjarski. Thanks to the naive artists of Kovacica and their successors, the painting art of the Slovaks in Vojvodina became famous throughout the world, and makes the most prominent and most frequented tourist attraction of Kovacica visited by a number of visitors. Within the permanent exhibition of the Gallery of Naive arts in Kovacica there are 31 oil paintings of Zuzana Chalupova, her painting equipment and tools, recognition and awards, as well as her bust, and also the 28 oil paintings of Martin Jonas.
When you are in Kovacica, we strongly recommend visit to the Jan Nemcek manufacture workshop of string instruments, mostly violins. The self-thought manufacturer of violins started his work more then 30 years ago, after he finished the Music School in Belgrade and returned to his hometown of Kovacica, where he worked for a while as a teacher. Jan Nemcek specialized his violin building skills at the famous Leipzig school by Rudolph Bartola, while the oscillatory practice was completed thanks to cooperation with prof. Lidija Parzik-Tanasijevic, the daughter of Karlo Parzik, the most famous violin builder, who had his violin atelier in Belgrade. Son of Jan Nemcek, Jan junior was the first successor and nowadays he even exceeds the skills of his father, building violins and acoustic guitars.
Kovacica is 31 km away from Pancevo, 55 km from Belgrade, and some 35 km away from Zrenjanin.
