The exhibition A History of Forgetting: The First Women of Croatian Museums – Zagreb, Osijek and Split opens on Friday, 16 October, at 7 p.m. at the Institute for Scientific and Artistic Research in Split, Croatian Academy of Sciences and Arts (Milesi Palace). It is the latest instalment of an exhibition and research project that began in Zagreb, continued in Osijek, and now presents the findings of research into women associated with Split’s museums.

 

The Split exhibition is organised by the Ethnographic Museum Split, with the participation of the Archaeological Museum in Split, the Museum of Fine Arts Split, the Croatian Maritime Museum Split, and the Natural History Museum and Zoo, alongside museums that took part in earlier stages of the project.

 

The exhibition tells the stories of the pioneering women of Split’s museums and cultural life in the first half of the 20th century, whose work and contributions have sometimes been left out of historical accounts. They include Vinka Bulić, Marija Selebam de Cattani, Tinka Vučetić Piteša, Cata Dujšin-Ribar and Aida Koludrović, as well as many other women who left a significant, yet often overlooked, mark on the development of museum work.

 

Through their biographies and previously lesser-known connections between individuals and institutions, A History of Forgetting offers a new perspective on the history of museums and the role women played in shaping it.