The Cervantes Institute exhibition from Belgrade, “Spain in the World of Ivo Andrić,” will open on Sunday, June 19, at 8:30 p.m. in the garden of Nobel laureate Ivo Andrić’s House in Herceg Novi. The exhibition will be open to visitors from June 19 to July 3, 2026.
The exhibition’s creator, Krinka Vidaković Petrović, illuminates the strong spiritual and cultural connections between Nobel laureate Ivo Andrić and Spain—a country that left a profound mark on his creative work—through archival material, texts, photographs, and testimonies.

The exhibition’s starting point is Andrić’s stay in Madrid in 1928 and 1929, when, as a young diplomat, he discovered Spanish culture, art, and the spirit of its people, which would inspire him immensely. It was in Spain that Andrić recognized a culture that, as he himself wrote, “strives constantly to transcend itself in everything that exists.”

A special segment of the exhibition is dedicated to the Sephardim—Spanish Jews who found refuge in Bosnia after their expulsion at the end of the 15th century. Their presence and cultural heritage are deeply woven into Andrić’s literary work. Through the stories of Sephardic characters, Andrić speaks of history, suffering, memory, and the endurance of peoples.

The third part of the exhibition deals with Ivo Andrić’s encounter with the work of the great Spanish painter Francisco Goya. During his stay in Madrid, Andrić was able to see a major exhibition of Goya’s works at the Prado Museum, which left a strong impression on him. “Goya carries you away, astonishes you, frightens you, and delights you,” Andrić wrote, testifying to the power of art that transcends time.

The exhibition “Spain in the World of Ivo Andrić” represents a unique journey through Andrić’s spiritual world and his fascination with Spain—a land of memory, art, and profound human stories.