Jovan Despotović

From 2001–2004, Despotović was the Deputy Minister of Culture for the Republic of Serbia. He was also director for the protection of cultural heritage at the Coordination Center for Kosovo and Metohija. 2004-2014, he has been editor of the Cultural and Information Desk at Third Programme of Radio Belgrade and Radio-Television Serbia. 2014-2015 Despotović was Director of The Museum of Contemporary Art in Belgrade. Since 2015 he is Editor in Chef of Documentary program on Serbian Broadcasting Corporation. Since 2017. he is in pension.

Since the turn of the nineteenth to twentieth century, Despotović has been extremely interested in cultural policy, an active movement for political change and changes in arts and culture. The effort to establish a new, democratic order in the 1990s brought together many intellectuals, artists, NGOs, etc. For his contributions, Despotović was named Deputy Minister in the Ministry of Culture during Zoran Đinđić's term as Prime Minister. He made a lasting contribution to the renewal of institutions, ministerial staffing, legislation of cultural activities and increased international cooperation. A special area of interest for him was the advancement of contemporary artistic production and the institutions engaged in it. He has made a significant contribution to the protection of Serbia's cultural heritage, especially in Kosovo following the arrival of the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo.

Despotović is a well-known presence in Belgrade's art and culture scene, which includes the Open Society Institute, Center for Cultural Decontamination and the Auction House Madl’Art. Prepared by 300 authors show in Serbia, former Yugoslavia and abroad. He was the Yugoslav Commissioner at the 7th International Small Sculpture Exhibition in Budapest, 1987, and the 22nd Biennale in São Paulo in 1994.

1986 International Association of Art Critics (AICA)

Published art criticism and articles since 1978. At the beginning of the 1980s, together with a group of young Serbian artists in Belgrade: Milovan Destil Marković, Vlasta Vulcano Mikic, Tahir Lusic, Nada Alavanja, Tafil Musović, Mrdjan Bajic, Slobodan Trajkovic etc., as an art critic, Despotović participated in the creation and development of New Wave in art and culture which opposed to traditional creativity in all areas – from visual arts to rock music, from theater to fashion and others. With numerous writings and art exhibitions Despotović contributed to this movement known as a New Image Painting (Nova Slika) to become very known in Serbia, former Yugoslavia and abroad.

Jovan Despotović was educated in The University of Belgrade, (Academic Degree in Art History 1976), SFR Yugoslavia, today Republic of Serbia.

Jovan Despotović (Serbian Cyrillic: Јован Деспотовић; born 16 April 1952) is a Serbian art historian and art critic who lives in Belgrade.