Dejan Medakovic
Encyclopedia
Dejan Medaković (July 7, 1922 - July 1, 2008) was a Serbia
n writer, historian and professor who resided in Belgrade
. Medaković had served as the President of the Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts
, the dean of the University of Belgrade Faculty of Philosophy
, and was a notable member of Matica srpska
and a number of other scholarly institutions.
(then the Kingdom of the Serbs, Croats and Slovenes (now Croatia
) in an old and distinguished Serbian family
. His father, Đorđe, was an economist; his mother, Anastazija, a housewife. His paternal grandfather, Dr. Bogdan Medaković, was a political leader of Serbs in Croatia during the Austro-Hungarian reign, chief of the Serb People's Independent Party
and president of the Croat-Serb coalition
, as well as the president of the Croatian Sabor during the years 1908-1918. His great-grandfather Danilo lived in Serbia and held various positions in administrations of princes Miloš and Mihailo Obrenović. On his mother's side he was a descendant of the Austrian military nobility.
He finished lower gymnasium in Badija
near Korčula
and higher gymnasium in Sremski Karlovci
. During the Second World War he lived in Belgrade
as a refugee. From 1942 to 1946 he worked as a volunteer-assistant in the Prince Pavle's Museum in Belgrade (today the National Museum
). He graduated (1949) and later got his PhD (1954) at the Philosophical Faculty in Belgrade (Department of the History of Art).
He became a member of the staff of the University of Belgrade
in 1954, where he would remain until 1982 when he retired. Between 1971 and 1973 he was also the dean of the Philosophical Faculty.
He was elected as a corresponding member of the Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts (SANU) in 1972 and as a regular member in 1981. He was also a member of the European Academy of Sciences and Arts
in Salzburg, the Austrian Society for Eighteenth-Century Studies (ÖGE 18), the Leibniz Society in Berlin, member of the Counsel of Matica srpska
in Novi Sad as well as the president of the Assembly of the Vuk Karadžić Foundation.
He held various distinguished positions in the Serbian Academy: he was a Secretary of the Department of Historical Sciences (1981-85), Secretary General of the Academy (1985-94), and in 1999 he was elected as the President of SANU, a post which he held until 2003.
In Matica srpska he was in charge of the Department of the History of Art. He edited the magazine "Fine Arts Digest of Matica srpska." In his research he was interested in wide span of subjects, from Serbian medieval art to modern painting, but his main fields of interest were Serbian Baroque painting and general cultural circumstances in the 18th century (as well as Serbian art of the 19th century).
He was also a poet and a prose writer. He published many studies, essays, monographs, recensions and articles on various topics ranging from new developments on the art scene, to current social and political issues. His studies have been collected and published in several books-"Serbian Painters of the 18th Century," "The Paths of Serbian Baroque," "Testimonials," "The Researchers of the Serbian Antiquity" and "The Serbian Baroque." He was also a major contributor to the "History of the Serbian People," as well as in the important publications "Serbian Art of the 18th Century" and "Serbian Art of the 19th Century". In addition to that, he published several important monographs and studies on the subject of art in the service of the Serbian Orthodox Church
: "Hilandar," "Savine," "St. Andreja," "St. Mountain Fruška Gora." Other important works are: "The Chronicles of Serbs in Trieste," "Serbs in Vienna," "Serbs in Zagreb," "Images of Belgrade represented in old etchings," "Selected Serbian themes" and "Letters". He was also an author of five books of poetry, as well as of the famous autobiographical prose cycle "Ephemeris."
Dejan Medaković was the recipient of many distinguished awards and honours - Herder's Prize; The Anton Gindely Award; The October Award of the City of Belgrade; The Annual Award of Prosveta; The Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany (Bundesverdienstkreuz); The Austrian Cross of Honour for Science and Arts; Gold Medal of Merit of the Republic of Hungary, Medal of Vuk Karadžić of the First Order, as well as many others.
He died on July 1, 2008, in the Oncological Institute of Belgrade Hospital.
Serbia
Serbia , officially the Republic of Serbia , is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeast Europe, covering the southern part of the Carpathian basin and the central part of the Balkans...
n writer, historian and professor who resided in Belgrade
Belgrade
Belgrade is the capital and largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers, where the Pannonian Plain meets the Balkans. According to official results of Census 2011, the city has a population of 1,639,121. It is one of the 15 largest cities in Europe...
. Medaković had served as the President of the Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts
Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts
The Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts is the most prominent academic institution in Serbia today...
, the dean of the University of Belgrade Faculty of Philosophy
University of Belgrade Faculty of Philosophy
The University of Belgrade Faculty of Philosophy is one of the oldest institutions of higher education in Serbia, founded in the early 19th century within the Belgrade Higher School...
, and was a notable member of Matica srpska
Matica srpska
The Matica srpska is the oldest cultural-scientific institution of Serbia. Matica srpska was founded in 1826 in Budapest and moved to Novi Sad in 1864....
and a number of other scholarly institutions.
Life
Dejan Medaković was born on 7 July 1922 in ZagrebZagreb
Zagreb is the capital and the largest city of the Republic of Croatia. It is in the northwest of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slopes of the Medvednica mountain. Zagreb lies at an elevation of approximately above sea level. According to the last official census, Zagreb's city...
(then the Kingdom of the Serbs, Croats and Slovenes (now Croatia
Croatia
Croatia , officially the Republic of Croatia , is a unitary democratic parliamentary republic in Europe at the crossroads of the Mitteleuropa, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean. Its capital and largest city is Zagreb. The country is divided into 20 counties and the city of Zagreb. Croatia covers ...
) in an old and distinguished Serbian family
Serbs of Croatia
Višeslav of Serbia, a contemporary of Charlemagne , ruled the Županias of Neretva, Tara, Piva, Lim, his ancestral lands. According to the Royal Frankish Annals , Duke of Pannonia Ljudevit Posavski fled, during the Frankish invasion, from his seat in Sisak to the Serbs in western Bosnia, who...
. His father, Đorđe, was an economist; his mother, Anastazija, a housewife. His paternal grandfather, Dr. Bogdan Medaković, was a political leader of Serbs in Croatia during the Austro-Hungarian reign, chief of the Serb People's Independent Party
Serb People's Independent Party
Serb People's Independent Party, sometimes just Serb Independent Party was a political party in the Kingdom of Croatia-Slavonia, under the Austro-Hungarian Empire...
and president of the Croat-Serb coalition
Croat-Serb Coalition
The Croat-Serb Coalition was a major political alliance in Austria-Hungary during the beginning of the 20th century that governed the Croatian lands . It represented the political idea of a cooperation of Croats and Serbs in Austria-Hungary for mutual benefit...
, as well as the president of the Croatian Sabor during the years 1908-1918. His great-grandfather Danilo lived in Serbia and held various positions in administrations of princes Miloš and Mihailo Obrenović. On his mother's side he was a descendant of the Austrian military nobility.
He finished lower gymnasium in Badija
Badija
Badija is the largest island in archipelago Škoji, near Korčula island in Croatia.The island is currently unpopulated. Franciscans from Bosnia came into possession of the island in the 15th century. They held it till the end of World War II where it was confiscated by the communist authorities.In...
near Korčula
Korcula (town)
Korčula is a historic fortified town on the protected east coast of the island of Korčula in the Adriatic. It is geographically located at 42°57′N, 17°07′E.-Population:...
and higher gymnasium in Sremski Karlovci
Sremski Karlovci
Sremski Karlovci is a town and municipality in Serbia, in the autonomous province of Vojvodina, situated on the bank of the river Danube, 8 km from Novi Sad...
. During the Second World War he lived in Belgrade
Belgrade
Belgrade is the capital and largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers, where the Pannonian Plain meets the Balkans. According to official results of Census 2011, the city has a population of 1,639,121. It is one of the 15 largest cities in Europe...
as a refugee. From 1942 to 1946 he worked as a volunteer-assistant in the Prince Pavle's Museum in Belgrade (today the National Museum
National Museum of Serbia
The National Museum is the largest and oldest museum in Serbia. It is located in Republic Square, Belgrade, Serbia. The museum was established on May 10, 1844. Since it was founded, its collections have to over 400,000 objects including many foreign masterpieces...
). He graduated (1949) and later got his PhD (1954) at the Philosophical Faculty in Belgrade (Department of the History of Art).
He became a member of the staff of the University of Belgrade
University of Belgrade
The University of Belgrade is the oldest and largest university of Serbia.Founded in 1808 as the Belgrade Higher School in revolutionary Serbia, by 1838 it merged with the Kragujevac-based departments into a single university...
in 1954, where he would remain until 1982 when he retired. Between 1971 and 1973 he was also the dean of the Philosophical Faculty.
He was elected as a corresponding member of the Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts (SANU) in 1972 and as a regular member in 1981. He was also a member of the European Academy of Sciences and Arts
European Academy of Sciences and Arts
The European Academy of Sciences and Arts was created in 1990 in Salzburg, Austria by heart surgeon Felix Unger of Salzburg; the cardinal archbishop of Vienna, Franz König; and the political scientist and philosopher Nikolaus Lobkowicz....
in Salzburg, the Austrian Society for Eighteenth-Century Studies (ÖGE 18), the Leibniz Society in Berlin, member of the Counsel of Matica srpska
Matica srpska
The Matica srpska is the oldest cultural-scientific institution of Serbia. Matica srpska was founded in 1826 in Budapest and moved to Novi Sad in 1864....
in Novi Sad as well as the president of the Assembly of the Vuk Karadžić Foundation.
He held various distinguished positions in the Serbian Academy: he was a Secretary of the Department of Historical Sciences (1981-85), Secretary General of the Academy (1985-94), and in 1999 he was elected as the President of SANU, a post which he held until 2003.
In Matica srpska he was in charge of the Department of the History of Art. He edited the magazine "Fine Arts Digest of Matica srpska." In his research he was interested in wide span of subjects, from Serbian medieval art to modern painting, but his main fields of interest were Serbian Baroque painting and general cultural circumstances in the 18th century (as well as Serbian art of the 19th century).
He was also a poet and a prose writer. He published many studies, essays, monographs, recensions and articles on various topics ranging from new developments on the art scene, to current social and political issues. His studies have been collected and published in several books-"Serbian Painters of the 18th Century," "The Paths of Serbian Baroque," "Testimonials," "The Researchers of the Serbian Antiquity" and "The Serbian Baroque." He was also a major contributor to the "History of the Serbian People," as well as in the important publications "Serbian Art of the 18th Century" and "Serbian Art of the 19th Century". In addition to that, he published several important monographs and studies on the subject of art in the service of the Serbian Orthodox Church
Serbian Orthodox Church
The Serbian Orthodox Church is one of the autocephalous Orthodox Christian churches, ranking sixth in order of seniority after Constantinople, Alexandria, Antioch, Jerusalem, and Russia...
: "Hilandar," "Savine," "St. Andreja," "St. Mountain Fruška Gora." Other important works are: "The Chronicles of Serbs in Trieste," "Serbs in Vienna," "Serbs in Zagreb," "Images of Belgrade represented in old etchings," "Selected Serbian themes" and "Letters". He was also an author of five books of poetry, as well as of the famous autobiographical prose cycle "Ephemeris."
Dejan Medaković was the recipient of many distinguished awards and honours - Herder's Prize; The Anton Gindely Award; The October Award of the City of Belgrade; The Annual Award of Prosveta; The Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany (Bundesverdienstkreuz); The Austrian Cross of Honour for Science and Arts; Gold Medal of Merit of the Republic of Hungary, Medal of Vuk Karadžić of the First Order, as well as many others.
He died on July 1, 2008, in the Oncological Institute of Belgrade Hospital.
Orders, Decorations and Awards
- Prosveta Reward for literature, philosophy and history
- 7 July Reward of Serbia
- 1990 - Herder PrizeHerder PrizeThe Herder Prize, established in 1963 and named for Johann Gottfried von Herder, was a prestigious international prize dedicated to the promotion of scientific, art and literature relations, and presented to scholars and artists from Central and Southeastern Europe whose life and work have improved...
, Republic of Austria - Gindeli Rewards, Republic of Austria
- The Austrian Cross of Honour for Science and Arts
- October Reward of Belgrade
- Gold Medal of Merit of the Republic of Hungary
- Order of bischop of Zagreb Ist degree, Republic of Croatia
- Special Vuk's Rewards
- Annual Reward of Prosveta
- Medal of the Order of Saint SavaSaint SavaSaint Sava was a Serbian Prince and Orthodox monk, the first Archbishop of the autocephalous Serbian Church, the founder of Serbian law and literature, and a diplomat. Sava was born Rastko Nemanjić , the youngest son of Serbian Grand Župan Stefan Nemanja , and ruled the appanage of Hum briefly in...
, Ist degree - Great Cross for Services to the Federal Republic of Germany
- Medal of Vuk Karadžić, Ist degree
- Crown of Despot Stefan LazarevićStefan LazarevicStefan Lazarević known also as Stevan the Tall was a Serbian Despot, ruler of the Serbian Despotate between 1389 and 1427. He was the son and heir to Prince Lazar, who died at the Battle of Kosovo against the Turks in 1389, and Princess Milica from the subordinate branch of the Nemanjić dynasty...
- Golden ring of Despot Stefan Lazarević
- Bestseller reward, National library of Serbia
External links
- Academic Dejan Medaković dies; article at International Radio SerbiaInternational Radio of SerbiaThe International Radio of Serbia is the official international broadcasting station of Serbia.The International Radio of Serbia is the only state-run short-wave radio station broadcasting its program to all parts of the world, in thirteen languages: English, French, German, Russian, Spanish,...
- Dejan Medaković at the Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts (SASA)