About us
The Museum of Contemporary Art - Skopje is a symbol of solidarity, which as a lasting value remains engraved in the collective memory of the Macedonian public.
Founded in 1964 as a result of numerous donations of works of art from 65 countries around the world, the Museum's mission is to maintain the memory and tradition of solidarity and to continue to collect, preserve, protect, study and value significant works of art and, by exhibiting them to the public, to develop awareness and understanding of the highest spiritual values of contemporary art and society.
Our other goals are to reach out equally to regional and to the diversity of global artistic aspects that relate to the open questions and perspectives that arise before art and today's societies.
To deepen the educational dimension of art and the role of the museum institution in developing awareness of the importance of nurturing and promoting cultural values.
To create a broad platform for critical dialogue that shapes our present.
Builidng
Perfectly integrated into the configuration of the Skopje Citadel and surrounded by the panorama of the city, the MSU building, erected in 1970, is an outstanding example of late modernist architecture and a symbol of the post-earthquake reconstruction of Skopje.
Covering a total area of over 5428m2, the MSU building consists of three connected buildings, of which 3000m2 is allocated to exhibition spaces and the space for the permanent exhibition, a lecture hall, film and video projections with 100 seats, a library and archive, administration, conservation workshop, depots and other auxiliary services, as well as the museum shop and cafeteria.
The large park areas, which allow for the installation of various sculptural projects, as well as the spacious parking lot, complement the immediate surroundings of the Museum of Contemporary Art.
Library
The Museum of Contemporary Art in Skopje owns the largest specialized library in the country, which houses books and publications related to modern and contemporary art, monographs on significant domestic and foreign artists, books on art theory and art criticism.
A significant part of the library's holdings is also represented by the large number of publications of the Museum of Contemporary Art-Skopje, published by the museum since its founding in 1964 until today: catalogs of solo and group exhibitions, monographic and retrospective publications, books, lectures and theoretical literature, including the specialized magazine for contemporary art "The Large Glass".
The library contains around 4,500 books and catalogues from solo and group exhibitions held in the country and abroad, as well as several Macedonian, Yugoslav and foreign professional periodicals from the mid-20th century to the present day, including Umetnost, Artforum, Frieze, Texte zur Kunst, etc.
The Museum also owns publications from world-renowned publishers, significant museums, galleries and international collections, as well as important art events such as the Venice Biennale and Documenta in Kassel, with texts by renowned world authors - professional literature that has educated generations of art historians, artists and art lovers.
Like the MSU-Skopje collection itself, the Museum Library is a testament to the long-standing dedicated work in presenting and preserving the artistic creations of numerous international and domestic authors.
Reading the publications from the rich collection of the MSU-Skopje library opens up the opportunity for us to discover more about the world – to analyze the past and strive to understand the present, so that we can project the future.
Visit the museum, where the expert team will introduce you and provide you with access to publications that gather extensive knowledge in the field of culture and art, and perhaps they also contain some of the answers to the questions and topics that interest you!
Working hours
The library is open to the professional and general public, from Tuesday to Thursday, between 10 am and 2 pm, with prior appointment.
How to use
Publications may only be used within the museum premises.
