Sputnik Serbia

The Splendor of the Domes of the Russian Church in Paris | Orbit of Culture

10:00 a.m., May 23, 2026

In today’s program, we reveal how the works of Grand Duchess Olga Romanova and 17 other Russian painters conquered Paris once again after a four-year absence, and we explore the legacy left to us by the rulers of the Obrenović dynasty.

How did French art lovers welcome the exhibition “The Splendor of Russian Painting of the 19th–20th Centuries. Masterpieces from the Collection of Vladimir Pesic”—the first exhibition of Russian art to open in four years, this time at the Russian Orthodox Spiritual and Cultural Center in Paris? How did the shining domes depicted in Grand Duchess Olga Romanova’s 1920 painting once again confirm that art is greater and stronger than politics? Vladimir Pešić, the collector, discusses all of this in Orbit of Culture.

What legacy did the rulers of the Obrenović dynasty leave behind? When laying the foundations of the modern Serbian state, were they aware that their legacy would outlive both themselves and their dynasty? Who, and for what reasons, had an interest after 1903 in suppressing that legacy or reducing it to a negative stereotype? We discuss these questions with Suzana Rajić and Danko Leovac, authors of the exhibition “The Obrenović Dynasty – A Legacy That Speaks,” currently on display at the Belgrade City Library.

We also speak with Mladen Savković of the Cervantes Institute about the films that will be presented this year at the Spanish Metre Festival, taking place from May 27 to June 10 in Belgrade and Novi Sad.

Why is the bicentenary of the birth of the Serbian writer, diplomat, and politician Ljubomir Nenadović an important date for culture? How did one of the first members of the Serbian Royal Academy enrich Serbian literature through his poetry and, above all, his travel writings? These questions are explored in an exhibition opened at the Library of the Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts to mark the 200th anniversary of Nenadović’s birth.

And how do past and present, reality and fantasy intertwine in the new short-story collection “Nora and the Snake”? How do the destinies of hajduks, fairies, quilt makers, and people with mobile phones and laptops intersect within its pages? What new literary adventures—and what familiar warnings known from his previous works—await readers of his latest book? We put these questions to one of the most acclaimed and distinctive contemporary Serbian writers, Vladan Matijević.

https://sputnikportal.rs/20260523/orbita-kulture-emisija-radio-23-05-2026-1199246395.html