The Ars Aevi collection for the Contemporary Art Museum in Sarajevo

Enver Hadziomerspahic

It is in Panzano in Chianti that Enver Hadziomerspahic, the founder and coordinator of the development of the Ars Aevi collection for the Contemporary Art Museum in Sarajevo has, chosen to live.

The wonderful Ars Aevi Project initiative started in 1992, during the siege of Sarajevo, when an invitation was sent out to artists in the world to contribute their work to a collection for a future World Contemporary Art Museum in Sarajevo.
Many artists are living in Panzano in Chianti, a county part of Greve in Chianti,   a Tuscan Renaissance city where contemporary art is also flourishing. And it is also in Panzano that Enver Hadziomerspahic has chosen to reside. Enver first had the idea to create a museum of contemporary art in Sarajevo in 1992, when the city’s Museum of the XIV Winter Olympic Games was destroyed. Since then, he tirelessly developed a widespread international network of friends, partners and supporters who believe in the importance of the values and goals of the Ars Levi Project.
From 1994 to 1998 founding exhibitions were organized in Italy, Slovenia, Austria, Turkey, where world most eminent artists presented their works. Since 1999 Ars Evi has been developing under the patronage of UNESCO, with the  support of Italy and in particular the City of Venice and the Region of Tuscany. Renzo Piano has donated the architectural designs for the construction of the Ars Aevi Museum. Scores of museums (150  including Milan, Prato, Ljubljana,Venezia, Wien, Istambul, Bologna, Beograd, Saint Etienne,..) as well as internationally renowned artists (Michelangelo Pistoletto, Bishan Bassiri, Jannis Kounellis, Daniel Buren, Remo Salvatori,..) have donated works.
The exhibition “ Ars Aevi collection in progress 1993-2013  for the Contemporary Art Museum in Sarajevo “  is  the impressive result of the optimistic enthusiasm  of creators and participants to the project. The exhibition can presently be seen at the Arsenale di Venezia, until November 24th,  at the occasion of the  Biennale.   It will then come to Milan and Prato.
The preconditions for the start of the construction of the Ars Aevi Museum in Sarajevo in 2014, symbol of a new Europe, as part of the programme to mark 100 years  since the start of World War I are now ready.
Villa le Barone was very honored to receive Enver Hadziomerspahic’s visit and happy to tell him the admiration for the project he has undertaken!