Continuities: Everywhere at Home

A Selection of Works from the French Collection of MoCA Skopje

LI National Museum – Veles, 13–27 October 2025

NI Institute and Museum – Bitola, 28 October – 10 November 2025

The exhibition “Continuities” presents a selection of paintings, sculptures, and prints created between 1933 and 1995, offering an insight into the thematic and stylistic diversity and vitality of the French art scene during the 20th century. The works belong to the French Collection of the Museum of Contemporary Art – Skopje, a body of around 300 works by over 150 artists, and form one of the cornerstones of the museum’s international collection.

The origins of this collection date back to the 1963 Skopje earthquake, when, through the initiative of French writer and critic Jean Cassou and the dedication of MoCA’s first director, Dr. Boris Petkovski, many French artists donated their works to Skopje as an act of solidarity. Later, Sylvain Lecombre’s comprehensive research and publication (2015) re-evaluated and contextualized the collection, reaffirming MoCA Skopje as a unique European institution founded on principles of solidarity, openness, and cultural dialogue.

The French art scene of the 20th century was characterized by emancipation, inclusivity, and internationalism. It provided a fertile ground for creativity that transcended boundaries of gender, origin, and artistic expression or style. The exhibition highlights this openness as a lasting value—reminding us that art remains a field where differences coexist, and where shared ideals and creativity bridge cultures and histories.

Featuring works by Hans Hartung, Victor Vasarely, Anna-Eva Bergman, Zoran Mušič, Marta Pan, Assadour Bezdikian, Zora Staаck, Juan Rabascall, and others, “Continuities” reflects both the artistic and ethical foundations of MoCA Skopje: the belief that solidarity, exchange, and dialogue are the essential conditions for any true contemporary art practice.

In 2023, the exhibition “Continuities” marked both the 30th anniversary of diplomatic relations between France and North Macedonia and the 60th anniversary of the Skopje earthquake. In 2025, the museum further expanded its collaborations with the Museum of Contemporary Art of Lyon (macLYON), reaffirming the ongoing cultural exchange between the two countries. These connections—spanning individuals, generations, and institutions—embody the living continuity at the heart of the exhibition’s concept.

In essence, “Continuities” celebrates the enduring human and artistic connections that shape our shared cultural memory. It invites us to see the museum not only as a space for preservation but as a living network of relations—between artists and audiences, between past and present, and between local and global narratives that continue to define the dynamics of contemporary art and our world today.