C. Simpson wrote:
> My President and CEO has asked me to try to find out how many museums
> in Bosnia and Croatia have been closed down or even destroyed by the
> war.
Dear Ms. Simpson,
The fate of museums, museum collections and cultural property in Bosnia
and Croatia during the 1991-1995 wars is discussed in detail in a recent
article in the Canadian journal _Documentation et bibliotheques_:
Vesna Blazina, "Memoricide ou la purification culturelle: la guerre et les
bibliotheques de Croatie et de Bosnie-Herzegovine," In: _Documentation et
bibliotheques_, vol. 42 (1996), pp. 149-164; a Web version of the text of
this article (without the illustrations) can be found at
http://www.applicom.com/manu/blazina.htm
Another recent update on the situation of cultural heritage in Bosnia and
Croatia during and after the recent war is: Alain-Charles Lefevre,
"Bosnie et Croatie: un desastre culturel sans precedent," _Archeologia_,
no. 328 (Nov. 1996), pp. 26-35.
For the fate of museums in Croatia, consult the following handbook, which
lists 39 museums and galleries that were damaged during the 1991 fighting,
including a brief history of each institution, measures taken to protect
holdings, and description of damage to collections and structures:
The Destruction of Museums and Galleries in Croatia during the 1991 War.
[Edited by Slobodan Prosperov Novak; prepared by Museum Documentation
Centre, Zagreb; text by Marinka Fruk ... et al.]. Zagreb: Museum
Documentation Centre, [1992]
In Bosnia-Herzegovina, the oldest and most important museum is the
National Museum (Zemaljski muzej Bosne i Hercegovina) in Sarajevo, est.
in 1888. It was attacked repeatedly during the siege of Sarajevo and
suffered extensive damage to the building and to those parts of its
collections that could not be removed to safe storage. A report by the
National Museum's director, Dr Rizo Sijaric, "Update on the Zemaljski
Muzej, Sarajevo," appears in the journal _Museum Management and
Curatorship_, 12 (1993), pp. 195-199; there is an appendix (pp. 197-199)
which gives details on efforts to salvage and protect the collections of
Sarajevo's 11 museums and art objects elsewhere in Bosnia threatened by
the war.
Dr. Sijaric was subsequently killed by a Serb artillery shell on December
10, 1993, while trying to arrange for plastic sheeting from UN relief
agencies to cover the museum's 300 shot-out windows and skylights and
other gaping holes in the building; an obituary by Marian Wenzel appears
in _Museum Management and Curatorship_, 13 (1994), pp. 79-80.
Dr Wenzel also wrote a report of her 1993 visit to Sarajevo, describing
the state of museums under siege: "Eyewitness in Sarajevo: Our Sister and
Brother Curators and Art Historians -- How Do Ordinary People Live in
Extraordinary Times?" In: _The Art Newspaper_ (London), no. 32 (Nov.
1993), p. 7.
I have written a number of articles on art, architecture and cultural
institutions (incl. museums in Mostar, Sarajevo and elsewhere) that were
attacked and destroyed during the Bosnian war; Andras Riedlmayer,
Libraries Are Not for Burning: International Librarianship and the
Recovery of the Destroyed Heritage of Bosnia-Herzegovina, In: _Art
Libraries Journal_ vol. 21 no. 2 (May 1996), pp. 19-23.
Some U.S. and Canadian colleagues and I have set up a Web site to gather
information on the fate of art and cultural heritage in Bosnia during the
recent war and on international efforts to organize assistance in
rebuilding and recovering some of what has been lost or destroyed; the
URL is http://www.applicom.com/manu/moreinf.htm
A number of new initiatives involving conservation and museum
professionals in N. America are in the offing and will be listed on our
Web site as soon as arrangements are finalized. Inquiries, offers of
assistance and information are welcomed. Please contact:
Andras Riedlmayer Fine Arts Library
Fogg Art Museum 32 Quincy Street
Cambridge, MA 02138 USA tel.
617-495-3372 e-mail: [log in to unmask]
Two articles in the European press published in the last year of the war
underline the urgency of material assistance and the need for training and
internships for our Bosnian colleagues. According to an article in the
Paris daily _Liberation_ (10 May 1995), the numbers of museum curators
[in Sarajevo s 11 museums] have fallen to 28 from a pre-war total of 118.
Another article, by Burton Bollag, in the 20 April 1995 issue of the
_Independent_ (London) describes the challenges facing Bosnian museum
curators and conservation specialists and may be of help in thinking about
the kind of support and assistance they need.
Although the shooting stopped in the fall of 1995, there has been only
modest progress in repairing damaged museums; many of the collections
remain in makeshift storage. In the absence of proper enclosures, basic
dehumification equipment, pest control supplies, and trained conservation
professionals, forces of nature (mold, mildew, insect pests) now threaten
to destroy much of what was saved from shell-fire during the siege.
Some excerpts from Bollag's article, written while Sarajevo was still
being shelled daily from Serb positions on the surrounding hillsides:
... Azra Begic, chief curator of the National Art Gallery of
Bosnia-Herzegovina for the past 35 years ... was put in charge
of saving Sarajevo s movable art when the shelling began: We
did what we could, but conditions were horrible. So much was
destroyed. ... But danger has driven many of her colleagues out
of the besieged city and there is no one left to help, choose,
catalogue, explain. We re just a few art historians left.
Ms. Kreso and Dr. Begic are just two of a handful of specialists
struggling to save their country s multi-ethnic heritage. Their
task is not easy. With the exception of those fortunate enough
to work for an international organisation, most earn the equivalent
of about 1DM per month. They survive, like the city s other
380,000 residents, on humanitarian food aid and any savings they
may have left.
They have few resources: mostly dedication and much UN plastic
sheeting. It s ever present, covering the blown-out windows and
holed roofs of museums, mosques and thousands of other buildings
in Sarajevo. At night, it flaps in the wind.
Begic says they feel abandoned. While the UN brings in food, it
has done little to repair damaged monuments perhaps understandably,
when repairs could be undone in a moment by a single mortar shell.
Nevertheless, in its eagerness to avoid confrontation, the UN has
given the Serbian forces surrounding the city the final say on
what may be brought in. Many badly needed supplies---building
materials, computers, even paper [and books]---are turned back.
It s not enough if we get back gas and electricity but not our
national patrimony, says Dzenana Golos, director of Sarajevo s
Institute for the Protection of the Cultural and Historical Heritage.
... Curators say collections must be rescued quickly. Most---like
the modern Yugoslav paintings and old icons from the State Art Gallery,
the extensive natural history exhibits from the National Museum, the
Jewish library and churches treasures---were hastily hidden in
cellars when the shelling began in April 1992.
The problem is that most of the movable cultural heritage was
put away in a panic, says Aida Cengic, head of the City of Sarajevo
Project, funded by the Hungarian-American financier and philanthropist
George Soros. It is being stored in damp, unsafe places. We must
save it from further damage.
The project is funding emergency repairs but faces manifold problems.
It has, for example, been unable to fix the badly damaged roof of
the National Museum, located close to the front line. UN commanders
say they cannot protect the workers from Serbian snipers.
****
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