The large exhibition 'Old Masters: Selection from the Collections of Paintings, Sculpture and Graphics by the Museum of Arts and Crafts' was solemnly opened in the Old Town Hall in Split today. The exhibition, which presents 28 valuable artworks created between the 14th and 18th centuries, features works by European masters and their workshops, including artworks that have revealed previously hidden details thanks to conservation interventions.
The exhibition was jointly organised by the City Museum of Split and the Croatian Museum of Arts and Crafts, with the support of the Ministry of Culture and Media of the Republic of Croatia, the City of Zagreb and the City of Split. At the opening, the audience was addressed by Matea Dorčić, Deputy Mayor of Split, Sanda Bulimbašić, representative of the Minister of Culture and Media, Vesna Bulić Bakotić, Director of the City Museum, Sanjin Mihelić, Director of the Croatian Museum of Arts and Crafts, and Dr. Antonia Došen, the project leader.
Deputy Mayor Dorčić highlighted that the Old Town Hall has become one of the important cultural centres of Split, where high-quality and popular exhibitions are regularly held. She recalled the success of the previous exhibition, which was visited by 8,500 people in just one month. She announced that the City of Split is intensively working on the organisation of the World Congress on Archaeology and Tourism, in cooperation with the Split-Dalmatia County, for which Split will be the host in 2027.
The Director of the Croatian Museum of Arts and Crafts, Sanjin Mihelić, highlighted the importance of the exhibition and the collaboration between the two museums, praising the inter-institutional cooperation. He noted that the exhibition is the result of years of research and conservation work by museum experts. He also mentioned that the following year, the Croatian Museum of Arts and Crafts will return to its renovated headquarters on Trg Republike Hrvatske in Zagreb. He expressed his hope that this exhibition would be an additional stimulus for the long-term cooperation between the Zagreb and Split museums.
