Stevan Kragujević

Owing to the efforts and willingness of Tanja Kragujević, Stevan’s daughter, a remarkably valuable piece of Stevan Kragujević's heritage was established in the Museum of Yugoslav History on April 1, 2015. The legacy holds nearly 6.000 original negatives and about 1.500 photographs, many books and catalogues about Stevan Kragujević and those with his photos, as well as dozens of items and documents giving evidence of his profession as a photojournalist, and also about his cooperation and friendship with many outstanding contemporaries home and abroad.

One of the most important books on the life and work of Stevan Kragujević was published posthumously, and marked an anniversary of the departure of this outstanding photojournalist and art photographer. The photo monograph entitled Prostor večnosti (The Space of Eternity), the photo monograph about the life and work of Stevan Kragujević was edited by Borivoj Mirosavljević and was published in the series “Zlatno oko” (“The Golden Eye”) by Foto i kino savez Vojvodine, Novi Sad, 2003 (Photo and Cinema Association of Vojvodina), and supported by the City Assembly of Senta. The book was promoted in April 2003 in Senta, Belgrade and Novi Sad, and followed by the exhibitions representing the most important photos and the moments in the life and work of Stevan Kragujević.

Among the photos, making this way the photo archives of the Museum of Yugoslav History more valuable, are those telling about the activities of President Josip Broz Tito in the country, numerous portraits of other politicians who marked the second half of the twentieth century, and also the photos of the Students Protests of 1968 and political events in the last decade of the life of Yugoslavia.

With his ample work, Kragujević made a unique documentary chronology about the development of Yugoslavia, being an eyewitness, as a photojournalist, of all important political, cultural, artistic and sports events. As an accredited correspondent, he was present at all the events in the Yugoslav Assembly, Party and Union conventions, May-Day Parade and Youth Day, formation of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM, Brioni, 1956), about student protests in 1968, natural disasters and accidents (Skoplje earthquake, 1963).

He took part at numerous international and Yugoslav exhibitions, and was also the author of special one- man shows, most often dedicated to his home town Senta. His first solo exhibition – One hundred photographs by Stevan Kragujević was held in his native town Senta from April 28 to May 5, 1956. The last exhibition, in the Museum of the Town of Senta in March 2000, next to 65- year jubilee of dealing with photography – symbolically represented Stevan's whole work.

Among other photos, the first official portrait of President Tito, made by Kragujević in 1950, was intended for foreign embassies and correspondents. The photo is preserved in Kragujević's archives. Later in his career, Stevan made a rich stock of photos of President Tito, covering his trips around the country, visits to various companies, meetings with foreign statesmen, workmen, artists, citizens, or young people, but, apart from official photos, he took a series of anthological, unofficial ones. Because of that, many people considered him Tito's personal photographer – which he was not.

After that period (1949–1951), Stevan Kragujević became a member of the selected team of photographers in Tanjug (1951–1953), and from 1953 until retirement in 1982 a photojournalist and photo editor of the daily newspaper "Politika".

He became occupied with photography at the age of fourteen. He learned the photographer's trade in Senta with Martin Ronai and Danilo Jakšić. During the war, Stevan went on with his education and progress. Keeping friends with the experienced Geza Barta in Novi Sad, he bought at his photo shop one of the first colour films and used it only for the most valuable shots. So, in 1943, "A Goose-girl", the photo of a young woman with a basket and geese in a Vojvodina alley, was taken. The photo, entitled "A Motif from Vojvodina Village" was published on the front cover of "Duga" magazine, No.313, which, in that way, in 1950, became the first illustrated magazine with the front cover in colour.

Stevan Kragujević (Serbian Cyrillic: Стеван Крагујевић; 4 February 1922 – 17 April 2002) was a Serbian photojournalist and art photographer.