Association of Fine Artists of Serbia

The Association of Fine Artists of Serbia (Serbian: Udruženje likovnih umetnika Srbije, ULUS) is the largest and most prominent professional association of visual artists in Serbia. Founded on 15 November 1919 in Belgrade, it traces its origins to an earlier association of Serbian artists for the plastic arts and music established in 1898. ULUS today represents around 2,000 members and operates as a non-profit cultural organization dedicated to advancing artistic creation, protecting the professional and social rights of artists, and promoting Serbian visual art at home and abroad. The association is headquartered in Belgrade and manages two major exhibition venues: the Cvijeta Zuzorić Art Pavilion at Mali Kalemegdan 1 and the ULUS Gallery at Knez Mihailova 37. It also maintains an online gallery of members' works and a sales gallery at Kosančićev venac 19. ULUS organizes over fifty exhibitions and cultural events annually, including collective, retrospective, and solo exhibitions, as well as lectures, symposia, and international exchanges. ULUS is governed by its members through a plenum and working bodies. Its activities include organizing exhibitions in Belgrade and across Serbia and abroad, publishing catalogues, monographs, and an information bulletin, participating in international exhibitions and congresses, and advocating for improved material, housing, and studio conditions for artists. The association also runs campaigns such as "2000 sa 2000" ("2000 with 2000") aimed at building a community of art lovers. As a membership-based organization, ULUS is not a commercial company but a professional and cultural institution. It plays a central role in Serbia's art scene, awarding prestigious annual prizes including the Golden Palette for painting, the Golden Chisel for sculpture, the Golden Needle for graphic arts, and an award for extended media. Its long history and broad membership make it a key reference point for Serbian fine artists.

The Association of Fine Artists of Serbia (ULUS) was founded on 15 November 1919 in Belgrade, when a group of painters and sculptors met at the hall of the Second Belgrade Gymnasium. The meeting was attended by prominent artists including Uroš Predić, Đoka Jovanović, Simeon Roksandić, Milan Milovanović, Branko Popović, Paško Vučetić, Ljubomir Ivanović, Beta Vukanović, Ana Marinković, Stevan Milosavljević, Kosta Miličević, Dragoljub Pavlović, Borivoj Stefanović, Momčilo Živanović, Veljko Stanojević, Živorad Atanasijević, Ilija Šobajić, Mihailo Milovanović, and Vladimir Becić. Uroš Predić was elected president, Branko Popović vice-president, Milan Milovanović secretary, Simeon Roksandić treasurer, and the board included Beta Vukanović, Vladimir Becić, Momčilo Živanović, Ljubomir Ivanović, and Mihailo Milovanović. The association was originally named the Association of Fine Artists in Belgrade (Udruženje likovnih umetnika u Beogradu) and operated under that name until the outbreak of World War II on 6 April 1941. During the occupation, the association suspended its work. It was re-established immediately after the liberation of Belgrade, while the war in Yugoslavia was still ongoing, on 3 November 1944, under the name Association of Fine Artists of Serbia (Udruženje likovnih umetnika Srbije). The forerunner of ULUS was the Association of Serbian Artists for Plastic Arts and Music (architects, painters, sculptors, and musicians), founded in November 1898 in Belgrade. Its founders included Đoka Milovanović, Đorđe Krstić, Živko Jugović, Marko Murat, Petar Ranosović Ranos, Rista Vukanović, Beta Vukanović, Petar Ubavkić, Sima Roksandić, Svetozar Ivacković, Jovan Ilkić, Dušan Živanović, Milorad Ruvidić, Nikola Nestorović, Danilo Vladisavljević, Siljan Pejčinović, Dragutin Đorđević, Dimitrije M. Leko, Toša Andrejević, Josif Marinković, Stevan Mokranjac, Mila Stefanović Vilovska, Sidonija Ilić, and Draga Milovanović. This earlier association marked the beginning of professional organization among Serbian visual artists and served as the direct precursor to ULUS. In 1960, the association established the Golden Awards, which are presented as part of its exhibition activities. The awards include the Golden Palette for painting, the Golden Chisel for sculpture, the Golden Needle for graphic arts, and an award for extended media. Initially presented at the Autumn Exhibitions, since 1974 they have been awarded at the Spring Exhibitions. The extended media award was introduced in 1999. ULUS celebrated its thirtieth anniversary with the exhibition "Thirty Years of the Association of Fine Artists of Serbia" in 1975–1976, and its fiftieth anniversary with the exhibition "Association of Fine Artists in Belgrade 1919." Today, ULUS is the largest artists' association in Serbia, with around 2,000 members. It continues to organize exhibitions, publish catalogues and monographs, and advocate for artists' rights.

• 1999

  Extended Media Award introduced.

• 1975

  Thirtieth anniversary marked with exhibition 'Thirty Years of the Association of Fine Artists of Serbia'.

• 1974

  Golden Awards moved from Autumn to Spring Exhibitions.

• 1960

  Golden Awards established by the Plenum on 16 July.

• 1944

  Association re-established on 3 November as the Association of Fine Artists of Serbia.

• 1941

  Association suspends work during World War II occupation.

• 1919

  ULUS founded on 15 November in Belgrade as the Association of Fine Artists in Belgrade.

• 1898

  Association of Serbian Artists for Plastic Arts and Music founded in Belgrade, precursor to ULUS.

Non-profit professional association and cultural institution representing visual artists in Serbia.

• Cvijeta Zuzorić Art Pavilion

  Exhibition venue at Mali Kalemegdan 1, Belgrade.

• ULUS Gallery

  Exhibition space at Knez Mihailova 37, Belgrade.

• Online gallery

  Online gallery of members' works with albums for painters, graphic artists, sculptors, and extended media.

• Sales gallery

  Sales gallery at Kosančićev venac 19.

1. 1ULUS – Udruženje likovnih umetnika Srbijeulus.rs
2. 2Association of Fine Artists of Serbiawikidata.org
3. 3Удружење ликовних уметника Србијеsr.wikipedia.org