Museum of Contemporary Art of Montenegro (hereinafter: MCAM), was founded on March 31, 2023, by the Decision of the Government of Montenegro, through the transformation of the JU Center of Contemporary Art of Montenegro. MCAM is the legal successor of the Center and the former Art Gallery “Josip Broz Tito”, Titograd, and therefore possesses a diverse museum collection, most of which has the status of movable cultural property. Thus, the Collection of the Art Gallery of Non-Aligned Countries “Josip Broz Tito”, Titograd, in 2024, due to its exceptional cultural value, as a memory of this historical period, its organization and diversity of content, was granted the status of cultural property of national importance.

In accordance with regulations and founding acts, MCAM performs the following museum activities: collecting, preserving, protecting, researching, professional and scientific processing, documenting, systematizing into collections, presenting and valorizing museum material in the field of contemporary art, as well as assessing its historical, scientific, artistic, and market value. Thus, the mission of this Museum is to actively encourage the development of the contemporary art scene in Montenegro, as a center for collecting, studying, and presenting contemporary artistic practices. The Museum has also directed its activities towards international cooperation, to enable active monitoring and presentation of current artistic trends, and to contribute to the formation of a vibrant and dynamic international scene, recognized in global frameworks.

The professional activity of the Museum is realized through:

• Department of Art Collections
• Experimental Department
• Department for Design, Production, and Public Relations
• Department for Education
• Department for Museum Documentation
• Department for Protection of Museum Material and Documentation

The current headquarters of MCAM is in the Petrović royal complex at Kruševac, where most of the buildings date from the late 19th century and have the status of cultural property. Within the complex is the Church of St. Dimitrije, built in 1894, which served as the family chapel of King Nikola I. Built of cut stone with a dome and a rectangular bell tower by mason Miloš Lepetić. In 1997, an open structure for musical events – the Music Chapel – was built, functioning within the Museum. The representative building of the Castle was erected by King Nikola I Petrović, intended for his son, Prince Mirko Petrović. The Castle was built in 1891/92, shortly after the liberation of Podgorica from Ottoman rule. The foundation stone was laid on April 20, 1891, near the right bank of the Morača River, on the then isolated Kruševac hill, which was the property of the Milonjić, Zlatičanin, and Harović families. The Castle was built according to the plan of an unknown designer, with the engagement of local craftsmen, under the supervision of engineer Marko Đukanović. Works on the construction of the royal complex – the castle, the guards’ house, and the chapel – were completed in 1894. The complex also had a large park, whose landscaping began in 1905, along with the addition of a floor to the Castle and an auxiliary building “kitchen”. In 1906, works were carried out on the facades, staircases, columns, and terrace on the western side of the castle, while in 1908, auxiliary buildings and stables were reconstructed, and electric lighting was introduced. At the end of 1910, according to the plan of French architect André Safrej, and with local craftsmen, the “Flower Pavilion” (Botanical Garden) was built.

During the Balkan Wars, the Castle and auxiliary buildings were converted into a hospital, which operated until 1974. In 1919, the American Red Cross renovated Prince Mirko’s palace at Kruševac and turned it into a hospital and its headquarters. In 1984, the entire complex was revitalized and converted into exhibition spaces. In November of the same year, the Gallery of Non-Aligned Countries “Josip Broz Tito” was opened in the complex, operating until April 1995, when the Center of Contemporary Art of Montenegro was established as the legal successor of the former Gallery and the Republican Center for Culture. In January 2012, the first floor of the Petrović Castle was given to the Petrović Njegoš Foundation, founded by Prince Nikola Petrović, a direct descendant of King Nikola’s family.

The House of the King’s Guard, as part of the Kruševac complex, is one of the exhibition spaces of the Museum of Contemporary Art of Montenegro. Construction began in 1891 and was completed in 1894. The two-story rectangular building was originally intended for the guards, the royal guard, and after the Balkan Wars, it was used for the city hospital. During the revitalization of the complex in 1984, The House of the King’s Guard was adapted and turned into a gallery. The period of the Gallery of Non-Aligned Countries was significant also because numerous artists from India, Cyprus, Angola, Sri Lanka, Cuba, Venezuela, Mexico worked in studios located on the ground floor, and exhibited in this space.

Today, within the MCAM program, thematic exhibitions, educational and literary programs, lectures, symposia, and similar events are organized.

MCAM also uses the Museum Gallery, located in the former building of the Lexicographic Institute, in the very center of Podgorica, designed by renowned architect Svetlana Kana Radević. The building is an extraordinary glass structure and represents one of the symbols of Podgorica. Built between 1984–1989, the gallery space was opened to the public in 1995. In front of the gallery stands a bronze monument dedicated to the great Russian poet Alexander Pushkin and Natalia Goncharova, erected in 2002. From its inception, the gallery’s concept has been based on presenting the most current trends in visual art, primarily through solo exhibitions of contemporary artists from Montenegro and abroad, affirming significant artistic phenomena in visual art, while continuously working on the popularization of culture and audience education.

The three-year work of MCAM can be presented through numerous projects in Montenegro and abroad, featuring significant names of the global contemporary art scene, such as: Erró, the famous Icelandic artist known for applying pop-art techniques in analyzing political, social, and cultural phenomena (exhibition realized in cooperation with the Museum of Contemporary Art in Reykjavik, authors: Maša Vlaović and Danielle Kvaran); Kiki Smith, one of the most important names in contemporary American art, exploring themes of the body, nature, spirituality, and human existence; Sam Durant, American artist who explored the legacy of the Non-Aligned Movement and its implications for the contemporary world, using diverse artistic media to question political, cultural, and social contexts of this global phenomenon; Odile Decq, French architect and artist; Yoko Ono, Mirsad Begić, Vlado Martek, Bojan Šumonja, Siniša Ilić, Vladan Radovanović, Maja Smrekar, Max Neumann, Cindy Sherman (authors Gunnar Kvaran, Milica Bezmarević, and Blanka Marković), and others. In addition, through the long-term research project Montenegro Today, MCAM collects documentation and presents contemporary Montenegrin artists in Montenegro and abroad, through solo and group exhibitions, and by acquiring works of art to enrich museum collections.

Today MCAM possesses 1,146 museum objects, systematized into the following collections:

1. Gallery of Non-Aligned Countries “Josip Broz Tito”, with four sub-collections: Europe, Asia, Africa, and Latin America
2. Modern and contemporary painting
3. Modern and contemporary drawings, graphics, and watercolors
4. Modern and contemporary sculpture and installations
5. New media
6. Experimental Department