The Art Heritage Of Noble Families Of Slavonia And Srijem In The Context Of The European Legacy

In the Gallery of Fine Arts, Osijek the art heritage of the European nobility is being kept and researched, and it is a part of the once copious art collections belonging to both foreign and domestic noble families which were living and working in Slavonia and Srijem from the beginning of the 18th to the middle of the 20th century (Odescalchi, Eltz, Pejacevic, Hilleprand-Prandau, Normann-Ehrenfels). These are Italian, Austrian, German, Hungarian and Croatian noble families whose reputation was based on their political, economic or ecclesiastical power and influence in the Habsburg Empire. Their arrival in today’s eastern Slavonia and Srijem is associated with the retreat of the Ottoman Empire and the integration into the Habsburg Empire, as well as the overall restoration. Introducing the material and the history of the family in the national cultural institutions is a challenge and an opportunity to connect with foreign cultural institutions and to present the family history and their artwork in the context of the European legacy. The Gallery of Fine Arts in Osijek plans to research, estimate and present the artworks (ca 800 pieces) of the Slavonian noble families in one large international and multi-annual project named TheHidden Treasure of the European Nobility. In this megaproject, each family and their extant art heritage will be given a separate section which is to be linked with the countries from which these families originate, and which are associated with the history of each family (Italy, Germany, Austria, Hungary, Bulgaria, and Serbia). The realization of such exhibition projects can also be accomplished through financial support of the European cultural funds and cooperation with the museums from the abovementioned European countries.