On February 20, 2025, the exhibition titled “Fundus 2025” was opened at the International Studio Ismet Mujezinović. The exhibition features 16 artists and twenty original works from the collection of the University of Tuzla, showcasing various techniques and artistic expressions, including watercolors, drawings, graphics, oil paintings, and sculptures.
Over the past 49 years, the University of Tuzla has gathered a valuable collection of artworks through donations and purchases, as is often the case with similar collections. This has created a strong connection with the arts, which over time becomes an integral part of the community’s identity, such as the university.
The exhibition was opened by Prof. Dr. Vesna Bratovčić, Vice Rector for International Cooperation at the University of Tuzla, who emphasized the significance of the artists whose works are part of the university’s collection. She also pointed out that the exhibition offers the wider public an opportunity to view these artworks until March 10 of this year.
In the social context, the university is an institution for the exchange of ideas and knowledge. By making these artworks public, the university also acts as an institution that preserves and promotes cultural heritage. This exhibition serves as a reminder and symbol of the cooperation with other institutions and events that the university has been involved in.
Mujo Grbić, the exhibition curator, also addressed the attendees, stating that the artworks were created by academic artists from the universities in Zagreb, Sarajevo, and Belgrade, from their most mature periods. The only living artist is Zdravko Mićanović, while the oldest artist is Frano Šimunović, born in 1908. Other artists include: Mevludin Ekmečić, Emir Dragulj, Vlado Puljić, Mersed Berber, Mensur Memo Dervišević, Ćazim Sarajlić, Predrag Omerkić, Jakov Budeša, Olivera Grbić, Nikola Vujošević, Nesim Tahirović, Čedomir Krstić, Nikola Gvozdenović, and Boško Karanović. All of these artists have left an indelible mark on the communities in which they worked, both through their art and as professors and organizers. It is particularly important to highlight the works of Mensur Dervišević and Frano Šimunović as significant pieces within their portfolios, as well as benchmarks for evaluating the collection. There is also a need to carry out an assessment, systematization, and processing of the entire fundus of the University of Tuzla in the near future.
This exhibition showcases the aesthetics of modern art from the 1970s and 1980s but could also serve as a call to artists and organizations to continue enriching the collection and gathering contemporary art for the coming years. Additionally, the university’s future campus could house such a gallery as part of the UNTZ collection.
The exhibition is organized by the Center for Sports, Culture, and Art of the University of Tuzla. Partner: The Cultural Center Tuzla.
Open Exhibition “FUNDUS-UNTZ 2025”
