Milena Pavlovic Barilli

By Jelica Tapušković

Belgrade, July 03, (Serbia Today) - One of the best surealism artist from Serbia Milena Pavlovic Barilli was born 100 years ago, on November 5th in Pozarevac, little town about 100 kilometers from Belgrade. She was the only child of duke’s Karadjordje grand grand daughter Danica Pavlovic and italian composer and journalist Bruno Barilli.

She showed her interest for painting while she was still a child. Milena studied at the Academy of Art in Belgrade at first, only to continue his studies abroad in Munich. She left Serbia in 1930, and started living and working in European metropolis London, Paris and Rome. There she acquired a reputation as really good painter. She was a friend of a group of very excentric and famous artists known as representers of avanguardian artistic scene – Jean Cocteau, Andre Breton, Giorgio de Chirico, etc.

Beside painting, her huge love was poetry, so she was also known as a good poem writter. In one period of her life, she lived in America. There, she worked as comercial designer, and ilustrator for fashion magazines Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar, Glamour, and journal for exterior and enterior Town and Country.

She also designed costumes for Gian Carlo Menotti’s balley Sebastian.

During her life in Paris she met pianist Rodrigo Gonzalez from Cuba, and very soon he became her big love. She died on 6th mart 1945, and her grave is in Rome.

There was no doubt for critics that her art was unique. They like to say that she was arhitect of dream and dreaming. Milena’s paintings are full of unreal world, magic, liric and fantasy. Her work can be separated in three periods – so called „munich“, „antique“ and „renesanse“. Some like to say that her work is part of „return to order“ art, which dominate on europian art scene in 20th and 30th years of 20 century.

Most of her paintings were made out of Serbia, but many of it, including graphics and drawings are in her home in Pozarevac (today it is Gallery of Milena Pavlovic Barilli), in Museum of contemporary art and Museum of applied art, both in Belgrade.

Because of importance of this fabulous painter, Ministry of culture of Serbia, organized the Board for organization of the 100th anniversary of Milena Pavlovic Barilli birth. The Board decided to organize her exhibition in gallery of Serbian academy of science and art (SANU), which will be held from July 17th till 25th august.

After that, exhibition will move to other Serbian towns and abroad. During the exhebition visitors will see her most important oils on canvas, drawings and graphics. Beside that, Board planned to promote her artistic opus – paintings and poetry, on one big science happening. Author of exhibition is custos from Gallery in Pozarevac, Jelica Milojkovic, who also wrote a monography aboot Milena. The Board also made a deal with University in Bologna and Belgrade’s Fashon and Design Art School to make textyle designs inspired with her drawings.