ottoman period

Šarić House (Branko Šotra Gallery)

The Šarić House (Branko Šotra Gallery) is located close to the Čaršija, the main crossroads of traders, travelers, tourists, salesmen and caterers. It was built in the year 1734/1735. The Šarić family is one of the oldest and most famous Muslim families in Herzegovina and Stolac. In the first half of the XVIII century, they built valuable endowments and were the first captains of the Stolac captaincy. One of the most significant members of the family was Ismail-kapetan, who built a mosque, school, cistern and several shops in Stolac.

In 1963, the Art gallery in Sarajevo built its first external branch in Stolac, the birth town of Branko Šotra, one of the greatest print artists of former Yugoslavia. The gallery was named after him and it was located inside the Šarić House. The prints of Branko Šotra (92 in total) donated by the artist to the Artistic gallery in Sarajevo made up the permanent exhibition of the gallery. Branko Šotra is famous for his prints characterized by their black and white contrast. In his early phase, he was portraying events and motifs from World War II, while later he shifted his attention to Herzegovinian landscapes, mountains and people.  In 1948, Branko Šotra became a professor and rector of the Academy of Applied Arts in Belgrade.

The Šarića House was burnt down in 1993, while the artworks were confiscated. It was renovated in 2012 as part of the project ARCH – Stolac, which was funded by the European Union.

Disclaimer: This webpage was produced through a grant provided by the Regional Cooperation Council’s Tourism Development and Promotion Project, funded by the European Union. Its contents are the sole responsibility of the Mak Dizdar Foundation and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Regional Cooperation Council or the European Union.