At the ceremony held at the Embassy of the Republic of France in Belgrade H.E. Frederic Mondoloni, the French ambassador to Serbia, conferred “Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters” Tijana Palkovljević Bugarski, the head of Тhe Gallery of Matica srpska and literary compiler Miloš Konstantinović. President of the National Assembly of the Republic of Serbia Maja Gojkovic was also present at the ceremony.
The Order of Arts and Literature is awarded by the French Ministry of Culture to individuals who have stuck to art in the field of art or literature, thereby contributing to the French and world artistic cultural heritage. The Order was founded in 1957 and has three ranks – knight, officers and commanders.
During his address to the laureates and attendees, Frederic Monodlini emphasized the specialty and importance of the evening: “Tonight we are honoring fine arts and language, synonymous with the transmission of culture and tradition, and the passions of the two persons whom I am pleased to deliver on behalf of the Minister of Culture, literature in the rank of knight “. He then pointed out the importance and engagement of PhD Tijana Palkovljević Bugarski on cultural exchange and the spread of culture, on the modernity and reach of its initiatives.
PhD Tijana Palkovljević Bugarski, thanking her on the felony, emphasized that he has a double significance for her – institutional and private. She began her speech with the words: “When we started the celebration of the Month of Francophony in 2010, we did not even imagine that this would become a regular program activity of the Matica Srpska Gallery and so far we have implemented almost one hundred programs, guest shows and joint exhibitions in Novi Sad, Belgrade and Paris, numerous lectures, concerts, film screenings and, most importantly, educational programs for children and young people, “stressing that all these activities pointed to the values and peculiarities of French culture, but at the same time to its relationship with the Serbian cult nim heritage and contemporary creativity, and that he sees the award as recognition of the Gallery of institutional belief that “presenting the culture of other European nations, contributing not only to their better understanding of our environment, but also better the reputation of Serbian culture in the wider European context.”
A large number of friends, associates and colleagues attended the ceremonies at the Embassy of the Republic of France along with family members, representatives of the Ministry of Culture and Information of the Republic of Serbia, the Matica Srpska, the Matica Srpska Gallery, the Matica Srpska Library, the directors of the museum institutions.