Herzegovinian Refugees

The historical composition Herzegovinian Refugees (or Bosnian Refugees) represents one of the most significant achievements in Serbian art of the 19th century. It was inspired by the events from the Serbian-Turkish war and the uprising in Nevesinje (1875-1876). Predić's relatives served as models for this composition. The crying girl next to the old man on the left is Mica Predić, the later wife of the composer Stevan Mokranjac; the man with the head bent on the right is the author's brother Radivoj; the girl in the foreground, held by the hand by her mother is his nephew Zorka Predić, while the colourful character of the broad-shouldered highlander with a red turban in the middle of the painting is particularly interesting. Predić left a note about him, saying: "This is Joko Korać who cut off three Turkish heads. I came across him accidentally. Namely, he came to Belgrade all the way from Bosnia to visit his brother., ironmonger. But the brother and his wife had gone to a spa, and Joko was there without any money and accommodation, so he spent the night in the street. Luckily for both of us, we met - I was looking for a model, and he was looking for shelter. The painting marked a notable success at the World's Fair in Paris in 1889. An American museum intended to buy Bosnian Refugees at the exhibition, and following the appeal by an anonymous article author published in the prominent illustrated magazine "Orao", who said, among other things: "We are of the opinion that the Serbian state should acquire this painting for its national museum. (...) Serbian rulers and Serbian states must have the assets to collect the most beautiful productions of our art in the centres of our culture" (...)", famous Serbian and world scientist Mihajlo Pupin Idvorski reacted fast, purchased the painting from the author and then in 1923 officially donated it to the National Museum in Belgrade.