ŽELJKO DJUROVIĆ
31 March to 9 May 2026
GALLERY
The Mihajlović Feniks Foundation presents an exhibition of academic painter Željko Đurović, which opens on Tuesday, March 31, 2026 at 7:00 p.m. in the Art Gallery of the Ilija M. Kolarc Foundation in Belgrade. The exhibition will present 34 works from a recognizable segment of the artist’s rich oeuvre.
In the center of the composition of paintings by Željko Djurović, there is always a woman, around whom the action takes place, or as Jasna Opavski observes in the catalog for the exhibition of the artist – ” a woman is the central axis of Djurović’s compositions. Around her, a chaotic world twists in a spiral.” She points out that Djurović paints cosmic nymphs, Eve, Sirens dangerous in their independence, and the power of beauty is their invincible weapon. “With their idealized forms and direct views, they bring to life the personality of the “femme fatale”. Although their measurements are of modern model proportions, with the supernatural color of their skin, they have been transferred to a mythological space, which only sometimes resembles the light of the colored spotlights of a night club” – says Opavski.
The focus of Željko Djurović’s works is erotica as a vital life energy, while the female nude appears as its key symbol. Organic forms, pronounced texture and unconventional color build a recognizable visual language, far from naturalism.
In the reality of ubiquitous digitalization, he approaches painting in a neo-academic way as a sublime craft, where the brush mark represents the defense of original humanity.” – says Jasna Opavski.
ABOUT THE ARTIST
Željko Djurović was born in 1956 in Danilovgrad, Montenegro. He completed his studies in painting, as well as postgraduate studies, at the Faculty of Applied Arts in Belgrade.
He is a member of ULUS and the international group of artists Libellula from France, as well as the group Fantastic 6. He is a retired full professor. During his career, he had 51 solo exhibitions in the country and abroad.
He exhibited, among other things, at the International Center for Fantastic Art in the Castle of Gruyères in Switzerland, then for several consecutive years at the Art Salon in the Grand Palais in Paris (Comparaison), at the Museum of Fantastic Art in Vienna, as well as at the First World Exhibition of Fantastic Art in Venice (Du Fantastique au Visionnaire). He is represented in more than 32 books on art, including: Serbian Encyclopedia (SANU), History of the Art of Montenegro (CANU), Serbian Who is Who, Metamorphosis (Jon Beinart), Dreamscapes I, Dreamscapes II, Metaphysical Painting, Imaginaire I, Serbian Painting of the 20th Century, Libellule Renaissance Contemporaine, Dreams & Divinities, Anthology of Serbian Painting of the 20th and Early 21st Century and other publications.
He received 12 awards for his artistic work, among which are the MC Escher foundation award for ex-libris, the Momo Kapor Foundation painting award, as well as the Grand Prix of the Biennial of Fantasy in Serbia. His works are in the collections of the National Museum in Belgrade – Cabinet of Graphics, the International Museum of Fantastic Art in Gruyer Castle in Switzerland, the National Museum in Kragujevac, the National Museum in Užice, the collection of the Gallery of the Unaligned in Podgorica, the RTS Gallery in Belgrade, as well as in numerous private collections in the country and abroad.
The exhibition will be open until 9 May 2026.