STOP VIOLATIONS OF MUSEOLOGICAL STANDARDS AND SPATIAL AND ARCHITECTURAL INTEGRITY OF THE MILENA PAVLOVIC BARILLI GALLERY IN POZAREVAC AND OF ITS HISTORIC NEIGHBORHOOD

  We ask all supporters of Milena Pavlovic Barilli’s artistic legacy and of the endowment of her mother, Danica, to

  SUPPORT OUR REQUEST

that the Department of Urban Planning and Construction of the City of Pozarevac and the Regional Institute for Protection of Cultural Monuments, Smederevo, annul all legal provisions outlined below and stop further violations of museological standards and spatial and architectural integrity of the Milena Pavlovic Barilli Gallery and its compatibility with the neighborhood setting of which it is an integral part.

We request that the Department of Urban Planning and Construction of the City Administration of the City of Pozarevac and the Regional Institute for the Protection of Cultural Monuments Smederevo, annul and stop implementation of the following legal provisions: Expert Opinion of the Institute for the Protection of Cultural Monuments No 42/7-2019, dated 21 June 2019; Certification, and Announcement by the Department of Urban Planning and Construction of the City Administration of the City of Pozarevac, No 04-350-356/2019, dated 20 Sept. 2019. We further request that the Department prohibit any further work pursuant to the Urban Project for Adaptation, Reconstruction and Expansion of the Milena Pavlovic Barilli Gallery, Pozarevac, developer— Center for Planning and Urban Development Belgrade, Zahumska 34 Beograd (”CEP”).

This project calls for displaying Milena’s works on permanent exhibit in a new, completely glassed-in space. This is absolutely inappropriate and totally unacceptable: this material must be preserved and displayed under stringent conditions of strictly monitored light, humidity and temperature. The conditions in the proposed building would quickly cause irreversible damage and destruction of exhibited artwork; shockingly, the CEP project does not adequately specify measures and technology that would ensure preservation of the permanent collection. Indeed, from the point of view of modern museology and art conservation, this project is simply a feckless experiment.  

Additionally, the original building of Milena’s home already has protected status as an integral part of the unique cultural and historical heritage of the town of Pozarevac, which must be preserved and safeguarded.  

The CEP project violates not only museological standards, but also urban spatial and architectural integrity of the neighborhood the Gallery is an intrinsic part of, as well as numerous LEGALLY established buildings standards regarding museums and galleries of this type (Official Herald RS, No. 71, dated 22 December 1994; No 52, dated 15 July 2011; State Laws, 99, dated 27 December 2011; State Law 6, dated 24 January 2020; State Law 35, dated 8 April 2021).  

Furthermore, the CEP project is also in breach of the following LEGAL instruments: Law on Endowments and Foundations (Official Herald RS, No. 88/2010,99/2011, State Law 44/2018); Last Will and Testament of Danica Pavlovic Barilli; General Urban Plan of the City of Pozarevac (see pp 96 and 97); Law on Copyright; “Conditions for Protection, Maintenance and Use for the Purpose of Developing The Urban Project for Adaptation, Reconstruction, and Expansion of the Milena Pavlovic Barilli Gallery in Pozarevac,“ by the Regional Institute for Protection of Cultural Monuments Smederevo, No. 42/2-2019, dated 21 June 2019; Public Tender for Selection of Developers; Certificate of the Department for Urban Development and Building of the City of Pozarevac, No 04-350-356/2019, dated 20 September 2019, wherein the Department of Urban Development and Building of the City Administration of the City of Pozarevac certifies the Urban Project for Urban and Technical Development of the Area for Adaptation, Reconstruction, and Expansion of the Milena Pavlovic Barilli Gallery, located on Parcel No. 993/1, as recorded in the Registry of Deeds, KO Pozarevac in Pozarevac, Dr Voja Dulic Street, No 14, developed by the Center for Planning of Urban Development— CEP, Belgrade.  

STOP

VIOLATIONS of museological standards, urban spatial and architectural integrity of the Milena Pavlovic Barilli Gallery and its historic neighborhood, and of building standards for museums and galleries of this type;

  STOP

VIOLATIONS of the LAW on Culture (Official Herald RS, No. 71,1994), LAWS on Cultural Heritage and Legacies and Foundations, and of the Last WIll and Testament of Danica Pavlovic Barill, pursuant to which the above mentioned project does not conform to specificities, requirements, and standards of such a tremendously valuable legacy.

  WE SUPPORT

respecting museological standards and laws on the protection of cultural heritage and respecting the legacy of Danica Pavlovic Barilli. We support implementing renovation/reconstruction, adaptation, and construction of the Annex Gallery based on the architectural concept developed by Dragan Drndarevic, Dipl. Ing Arc, which was APPROVED in 2004 by the Department of Urban Development and Construction of the City of Pozarevac and by the Regional Institute for the Protection of Cultural Monuments— Smederevo. This approval has never been rescinded; we therefore believe that those who commissioned the new project acted UNLAWFULLY and are in breach of the Law of Copyright and Related Rights.

We believe that “every reckless, inadequate and unprofessional act of introducing new forms, templates, and content has the potential to cause irreparable damage and destroy this historic environment and extinguish the very spirit of the distinguished Pavlovic family. Their city owes them a debt of eternal gratitude for this priceless gift. Milena’s works are preserved in the authentic environment, integrated into the traditional atmosphere of a historic garden, which has, in this project, been completely erased and replaced by a contemporary, anonymous, cold, and inauthentic glass building.” (Quote from the letter by the Board of Directors of Evropa Nostre Srbija, sent to the Department of Urban Development and Construction of the City Administration of the City of Pozarevac, 14 July 2019)  

MAKE SURE YOUR SIGNATURE IS COUNTED! You will receive a confirmation email— please click on the “yes, I signed the petition” link (displayed in the GREEN button) to confirm your signature. Email filters could be preventing you from getting these emails. To avoid this, add info@peticijeonline.com to your address book or list of safe senders.

Please note: replying to this email will NOT confirm your signature.

Dedication by Milena’s mother, Danica Pavlovic Barilli in the Gallery Guest Book, pg. 1, 24 June 1962 (“Milena, my darling! Mama kept her solemn vow.”)

Memorial plaque, with the dedication by Milena’s mother, Danica Pavlovic Barilli (Milena’s home: Dedicated to her talent, hard work, and youth. Mama)

Milena’s home, before it was demolished in 1961

Proposed West facade, facing the street, architect D. Drndarevic, Dipl. Ing Arc.

Proposed Gallery Annex, South side, architect D. Drndarevic, Dipl. Ing Arc.

3D rendering of the glassed- in street facing facade, CEP Project, without the original 19th century gate  

3D rendering of the complex of new Gallery buildings, with the glassed-in permanent exhibition annex in the shape of an inverted truncated pyramid (foreground). The old garden portion of Milena’s home can be glimpsed in the center— the Southeast side.

Petition Organizer-- Jelica Milojković, Art Historian, Museum Advisor, on behalf of undersigned concerned citizens, art historians, architects, and the Executive Committee of the Association of Protectors of Milena’s Home    Kontaktirajte pokretača peticije