Veljko Vlahović – The Voice of a Free Yugoslavia

The exhibition “Veljko Vlahović – The Voice of a Free Yugoslavia”, created in collaboration with the National Museum of Montenegro and curated by Božena Miljić and Ljiljana Karadžić, chronologically and thematically touches upon key historical events that Vlahović witnessed and participated in—such as the student demonstrations of the 1930s, the Spanish Civil War, and World War II—as well as his political and social engagement in postwar Yugoslavia. At the same time, the exhibition maps out aspects of his private life and space, to the extent that they shaped his political path.

The title of the exhibition is inspired by the period during World War II that Vlahović spent in Moscow, where he served as editor of Radio Free Yugoslavia, which broadcast in Serbo-Croatian, Slovenian, Macedonian, and several European languages.

In addition to valuable materials from the Veljko Vlahović Legacy, housed at the National Museum of Montenegro, the exhibition also features objects from the collections of the Museum of Yugoslavia, the Archives of Yugoslavia, and Radio Belgrade. Through archival materials, personal belongings, photographs, audio recordings, and artworks, visitors will have the opportunity to engage with the compelling life story of a revolutionary, a fighter in the International Brigades, and a prominent political figure of socialist Yugoslavia.

This exhibition is an adapted version of the show “On the Side of Justice and Freedom: The Legacy of Veljko Vlahović”, originally presented in 2018 at the National Museum of Montenegro in Cetinje, also curated by Božena Miljić and Ljiljana Karadžić. With additional input from curators Dušica Stojanović and Ljubica Vlahović of the Museum of Yugoslavia, the concept has been partially reworked and enriched.

The exhibition space at the 25 May Museum has been designed in collaboration with the architectural studio Turbina and designer Mane Radmanović, resulting in a visual and sound presentation that thoughtfully balances between private and public realms, the culture of remembrance, and the risk of historical forgetting.

As the leading institution for Yugoslav heritage and social history, the Museum of Yugoslavia continues its series of regional collaborations with this exhibition.

The exhibition is open from May 29 to October 10 and can be visited on weekdays from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.