In the first year of the Museum's operation (1950), five collections were formed: Archaeological, Historical, Ethnographic, Collection of Auxiliary Objects, and the Art Collection. Twenty-five years later, the Art Collection numbered 804 objects, and by its 50th anniversary, it boasted close to 1,200 exhibits. In its 75 years of existence, the Art Collection has been managed by Ljubica Mladenović (1949‒1979), Mehmed Klepo (1980‒2001), and Hamdija Dizdar (2007‒2012; 2019 to the present). The collection has been expanded and enriched through purchases, exchanges with other institutions, legacies, and gifts. Art Collection koja je brojala, 25 godina poslije, 804 predmeta, a 50. godišnjicu postojanja dočekuje s blizu 1.200 eksponata. U ovih 75 godina postojanja Umjetničku zbirku su vodili: Ljubica Mladenović (1949‒1979.), Mehmed Klepo (1980‒2001.) i Hamdija Dizdar (2007‒2012; 2019. do danas). Umjetnička zbirka se širila i bogatila otkupom, razmjenom s drugim institucijama, legatom i poklonom.
Museum documentation indicates that from the establishment of the Museum to the beginning of the aggression against Bosnia and Herzegovina, and continuing after the war, 547 works of art have been purchased. A significant portion of these acquisitions came from independent exhibitions and annual group exhibitions of the author. Funding for these purchases used to be provided through the Fund of the Self-Governing Interest Community for Culture of the PR of BiH, art procurement fund of the City Assembly and the Centar Municipality Assembly, and the City Community for Culture fund. Today, the means for procurement of art pieces come through fund within the budget of the Ministry of Culture and Sports of Sarajevo Canton. Most of the works of art that have enriched the collection through gifts can be divided into two periods: from 1949 to 1955, and from 1965 to 1980. During these periods, 515 works of art were donated. The Art Collection consists of several sub collections, including: Orthodox Icons, Caricatures, Portraits of Sarajevo Citizens and Sarajevo Mayors, Watercolours of Old Sarajevo, Self-Portraits of Sarajevo Painters, Landscapes and Views of Sarajevo, and Contemporary Painting and Sculpture collection.
In addition to the indisputable artistic, cultural and religious value, the collection also has documentary value. The collection of Orthodox icons represents another value of the Art Collection. It is about twenty-five (25) icons created in the period from the 16th to the 18th century, which represent priceless artefacts of church painting from that time. The icons have been gifted to the Museum by the Serbian Orthodox Church Municipality and acquired from various Sarajevo families (Jeftanović, Rakić, Ilić, Savić), painter Đoka Mazalić between 1949 and 1955 and from the then city committees in the period from 1949 to 1955. Though the specific creators of the icons are largely unknown, some were identified as icon painters like Todor Vuković Desisalić, Maksim Tujović, and Sanko Daskal. .Collections of portraits of Sarajevo citizens and Sarajevo mayors support this thesis. Mehmed Klepo[„Četrdeset godina Muzeja grada Sarajeva“, Muzej grada Sarajeva; Sarajevo, godina IV, knjiga 4, 1974.] noted that these portraits were executed in an academic manner, with painters required to accurately capture their subjects' likeness to the canvas, to photographically reproduce the splendour of jewellery and clothing on them, and that Spiridon Špiro Bocarić was one of the most skilled portrait painters of that time. Wealthier people of the time or the government of that time paid for their portraits or portraits of their family members. From that period, the collection got enriched in some fifty portraits, featuring prominent figures such as Manojlo Jeftanović, Atanasija Šola, Ahmed Greba, Salka Lagumdžija, Milka Hun, Ilija Kecmanović and others.
Museum documentation indicates that from the establishment of the Museum to the beginning of the aggression against Bosnia and Herzegovina, and continuing after the war, 547 works of art have been purchased. A significant portion of these acquisitions came from independent exhibitions and annual group exhibitions of the author. Funding for these purchases used to be provided through the Fund of the Self-Governing Interest Community for Culture of the PR of BiH, art procurement fund of the City Assembly and the Centar Municipality Assembly, and the City Community for Culture fund. Today, the means for procurement of art pieces come through fund within the budget of the Ministry of Culture and Sports of Sarajevo Canton. Most of the works of art that have enriched the collection through gifts can be divided into two periods: from 1949 to 1955, and from 1965 to 1980. During these periods, 515 works of art were donated. The Art Collection consists of several sub collections, including: Orthodox Icons, Caricatures, Portraits of Sarajevo Citizens and Sarajevo Mayors, Watercolours of Old Sarajevo, Self-Portraits of Sarajevo Painters, Landscapes and Views of Sarajevo, and Contemporary Painting and Sculpture collection.
Bocarić and Valić, were also done by Ivana Kobilica and Mehmed Klepo. The art collection also includes fifty caricatures of famous people from the city of Sarajevo. The color caricatures, created by Alija Hafizović Haf, feature notable individuals such as Safet Pašalić, Safet Isović, Rejhan Demirdžić, Džemal Bijedić, and Emeric Blum. The collection of landscapes and views of Sarajevo showcases artists and painters who were pioneers of civic painting in Bosnia and Herzegovina. It includes works by amateur painters and military lieutenants who arrived with the Austro-Hungarian army after 1878, such as Theodor Bradwiser, Antal Kerešteši, and I.I. Kirchner. It also features works by the first artists from Bosnia and Herzegovina including Špiro Bocarić, Todor Janković, Gabrijel Jurkić, Karlo Mijić, Petar Šain, Vilko Šeferov, Petar Tiješić, and Roman Petrović who received formal art education in European schools and academies from Zagreb, Vienna, Munich, Krakow, Prague, Petrograd, Paris, etc.
The collection of contemporary painting and sculpture at the Museum of Sarajevo is both precious and rich, featuring numerous works by contemporary Bosnian-Herzegovinian artists. The majority of the collection was amassed during the 1980s and 1990s, a period often referred to as the "golden age" of Bosnian-Herzegovinian painting. This era saw significant contributions from artists such as Ljubo Lah, Milorad Ćorović, Mladen Soldo, Safet Zec, Sead Musić, Seid Haanefendić, Radoslav Tadić, Ratko Lalić, Halil Tikveša, Nusret Pašić, Edin Numankadić, Affan Ramić, Narcis Kantardžić, Sead Čizmić, Salim Obralić, Mustafa Skopljak, Sadko Hadžihasanović, Ismet Rizvić, Radenko Mišević, Arfan Hozić, Franjo Likar, Petar Waldeg, Milivoj Unković among others. Initially, part of this rich collection was displayed permanently at the Faculty of Islamic Sciences, the Museum's headquarters until 1992. Other works were exhibited through thematic exhibitions across different city locations, with themes such as "Sarajevo in the Works of Fine Artists," "Sarajevo through Artistic Landscapes," "Crafts and Trade of Old Sarajevo in Artistic Paintings," "Watercolours of Old Sarajevo," and "How They Painted Themselves."
The Museum of Sarajevo maintained strong collaborative ties with city museums in Belgrade, Zagreb, and Skopje, leading to significant thematic guest exhibitions showcasing its Art Collection. However, the onset of war in 1992 brought new challenges. To safeguard the artworks from war destruction, the collection was moved multiple times, temporarily housed in the Jewish Museum and the Faculty of Islamic Sciences, before finally settling in its current location. Though some artworks were damaged during these relocations, the Museum initiated a restoration process once a permanent, secure location was established.
Museum employees displayed remarkable courage and organization during the war, even under constant shelling, to protect the artworks. The first post-war exhibition, "Sarajevo Birvatile,/Sarajevo in old times" was held in 2008 at the Collegium Artisticum featuring about eighty works divided into four thematic sections: "Bazaar and Mahallahs with Alleys," "Crafts and Shops," "Landscape and Views," and "Portraits of Everyday People." The Art Collection has been exhibited internationally, with notable exhibitions such as "Sarajevo Days in Vienna" in 2009 and "Birvakile Sarajevo/Sarajevo in old times " in 2023 in Ankara. Between 2008 and 2024, eighteen thematic exhibitions were organized from the Art Collection's fund.
The Art Collection has been exhibited internationally, with notable exhibitions such as "Sarajevo Days in Vienna" in 2009 and "Birvakile Sarajevo/Sarajevo in old times " in 2023 in Ankara. Between 2008 and 2024, eighteen thematic exhibitions were organized from the Art Collection's fund.
The Museum continued to acquire new artworks, albeit on a smaller scale than before the war, due to the circumstances of post-war reconstruction. In recent years, this trend has increased thanks to the enhanced support from the Ministry of Culture and Sports of the Canton of Sarajevo.
Despite these efforts, the Museum faces significant challenges today. One major issue is the need for adequate space to display the Art Collection in its entirety, allowing citizens, tourists, and art enthusiasts to fully appreciate it. Currently, the Museum utilizes the Small Gallery of Brusa Bezistan, which lacks the capacity for a complete permanent display. However, now, for the first time after the war, it houses the permanent yet incomplete exhibition "Sarajevo as Imagination."
Additionally, besides securing the space for the permanent exhibition of the collection, the Museum also has to manage another challenge, the one related to its aim to digitize its Art Collection and its parts. Transitioning from analogue to digital is envisaged as an important steps, so as to reach a global audience. This digital transformation is expected to be a highlight of the Museum's centennial celebrations, featuring virtual guests from around the world.
