Muzejske priče

Death to fascism, freedom to the people

Do you know which item from the museum’s collection has become dominant, so closely tied to the museum’s identity? It’s an exhibit that welcomes every museum guest: the stained glass “Death to Fascism, Freedom to the People.” Created by Vojo Dimitrijević in 1966, this stained glass artwork speaks to different layers of Bosnian-Herzegovinian history and the history of the museum itself. The stained glass was specifically made for the Museum of the Revolution in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and its central part is filled with the slogan “Death to Fascism, Freedom to the People,” promoting anti-fascist ideas and the values of the socialist state of Yugoslavia. The brightly colored panels of the stained glass resemble the art of De Stijl (Neoplasticism). The panels reduced to basic colors and forms were damaged during the last war, indicating another layer of Bosnia and Herzegovina’s history: the siege of Sarajevo. In the summer of 2019, due to temperature fluctuations, the binding materials in the central part of the stained glass began to visibly deteriorate, leading to the displacement of the central part of the artwork from its structure. The museum team stored the glass fragments in the Collection of Artworks and temporarily replaced the loss with a replica, serving as a reminder that Bosnia and Herzegovina’s heritage is still at risk.