Pava and Milan Sekulić Legacy

The Legacy was formed in 1970 in the first floor apartment of the Bajić Villa at 5 Uzun Mirkova Street. The legacy consists of a collection of 164 icons created between the 15th and the 20th century, in Serbia, Macedonia, Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Italy, Greece and Russia.

This is also the largest collection of icons found in one place in Serbia. In addition to icons, the Legacy holds paintings from the period between the 18th to the 20th century. The 19th century painting include portraits of Pavel Đurković, Konstantin Danil and Arsenije Todorović, as well as religious compositions by Stevan Aleksić, Jovan Klajić and others.

Paintings from the 20^th century include prominent authors such as Jovan Bijelić, Marko Čelebonović and Ignjat Job. Aside from collecting art, Milan Sekulić (Sremska Mitrovica 1895 – Belgrade, 1970) worked as an architect and contractor. He was a member of the Group of Modern Architects.

He developed more than 200 buildings in Belgrade, Novi Sad, Šabac, Smederevo, Smederevska Palanka and Bijeljina. His most significant designs include the former building of the daily newspaper “Politika” in 31 Makedonska Street, built in 1921, and the Chamber of Commerce in Novi Sad, build from 1930-1931.

The Mother of God in half-figure is represented on gold background, holding a scroll in her right hand. Christ is leaning on the Mother, which emphasizes the tender relationship between mother and son. The Virgin’s halo is decorated with geometric motifs, i.e. rhomboid and oval shapes. This representation developed in the Byzantine art of the Palaeologan period and was very common in Cretan painting of the 15^th century.

Saint George is represented carrying his severed head in his left hand, while holding a long spear in his right hand addressing Jesus. He is depicted as a warrior: dressed in a cloak tied in a knot on his shoulder and with a sword. The upper right corner of the icon has an arched segment of the sky with Christ holding an unrolled scroll in one hand, and presenting St. George with a wreath of martyrdom with the other.

Based on certain iconographic details, the oil sketch depicting the Immaculate Virgin Mary from (circa) 1745 was attributed to Franz Anton Maulbertsch, professor at the Vienna Academy of Fine Arts (1759–1770) or to an unknown circle of painters who collaborated with him. The central vertical depicts a figure of the Immaculate Virgin Mary, whose cult was especially revered in the Baroque period.

The Collection of Icons Sekulić holds the icon of St. George in the authentic interior of the Russian room, modelled on traditional Russian interiors. It is the work of the Russian architect, set designer and painter Leonid Mikhailovich Brailovsky (1867–1937), who was the head of the painting department of the National Theatre in Belgrade from 1921 to 1924. The icon was created in 1923 and gifted to the Sekulić couple by the author. This icon was their slava’s icon.

Konstantin Danil approach to portraiture was largely based on emphasizing the model's image. All other elements, such as expensive jewelry, precious materials and other details, were overpowered by the face of the model. Danil applied the same manner in the Portrait of an Unknown Citizen, shown in half profile, with underlined reddish color on his cheeks, typical of Danil's accent of the incarnated.

The portrait of Milan Sekulić was painted by Marino Tartalja. It was created during Tartalja's stay at Sekulić's home, as a result of their friendship. Sekulić is shown in a brown suit while posing casually. The background is undefined and in dark green tones. This is the only portrait of Milan Sekulić that in the Collection of Icons Sekulić and at the same time the only preserved visual testimony of the collector in his legacy.