Branislav Đ. Kojić (1899-1987) was a Serbian

architect An architect is a person who plans, designs, and oversees the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to provide services in connection with the design of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the buildings that h ...

, ruralist and

painter Painting is a Visual arts, visual art, which is characterized by the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a solid surface (called "matrix" or "Support (art), support"). The medium is commonly applied to the base with ...

Biography

He was born on 5 June 1899 to a family of teachers in

Smederevo Smederevo ( sr-Cyrl, Смедерево, ) is a list of cities in Serbia, city and the administrative center of the Podunavlje District in eastern Serbia. It is situated on the right bank of the Danube, about downstream of the Serbian capital, ...

, Serbia. Kojić's early schooling was completed in

Belgrade Belgrade is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Serbia, largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers and at the crossroads of the Pannonian Basin, Pannonian Plain and the Balkan Peninsula. T ...

. In 1915, he found himself in France as a war refugee. He entered the French

lycée In France, secondary education is in two stages: * ''Collèges'' () cater for the first four years of secondary education from the ages of 11 to 14. * ''Lycées'' () provide a three-year course of further secondary education for students between ...

Poitiers Poitiers is a city on the river Clain in west-central France. It is a commune in France, commune, the capital of the Vienne (department), Vienne department and the historical center of Poitou, Poitou Province. In 2021, it had a population of 9 ...

, and later moved to the southern city of

Nice Nice ( ; ) is a city in and the prefecture of the Alpes-Maritimes department in France. The Nice agglomeration extends far beyond the administrative city limits, with a population of nearly one million École Centrale des Arts et Manufactures École or Ecole may refer to: * an elementary school in the French educational stages normally followed by secondary education establishments (collège and lycée) * École (river), a tributary of the Seine flowing in région Île-de-France * Éco ...

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

, where he was awarded a degree in architecture in 1921. He then obtained a position in the Ministry of Infrastructure in Belgrade and received his architectural license in 1926. Also, in 1926 he decided to design a unique family house for him and his wife who was also an architect and an

interior decorator Interior design is the art and science of enhancing the interior of a building to achieve a healthier and more aesthetically pleasing environment for the people using the space. With a keen eye for detail and a creative flair, an interior ...

. In 1928, with his wife Danica, he established a bureau of certified architects. In the same year, he founded the Group of Architects of the Modern Direction, which together with him also included

Milan Zloković Milan Zloković ( Serbian Cyrillic: Милан Злоковић) (Trieste, April 6, 1898 - Belgrade, May 29, 1965) was a Serbian architect. His works epitomised two epochs of architecture in Belgrade. Biography Zloković studied in Graz (191 ...

, Jan Dubovi, and Dušan Babić. Over the course of his long career, he built more than 100 buildings, some of which are now landmarks of Belgrade and Serbia, namely the

Cvijeta Zuzorić Cvijeta Zuzorić (; also ''Fiora Zuzori'' or ''Flora Zuzzeri'') (1552–1648) was a lyric poet from the Republic of Ragusa. She wrote in Italian, Latin and Croatian. Life She was born in Ragusa, (now called Dubrovnik) into a prominent merchan ...

Pavilion.„Политика“, подлист „Моја кућа“ страница 3, петак, 13.1.2012. He was one of the first Serbian modernist architects who was influenced by

art deco Art Deco, short for the French (), is a style of visual arts, architecture, and product design that first Art Deco in Paris, appeared in Paris in the 1910s just before World War I and flourished in the United States and Europe during the 1920 ...

. In 1950, he became a full professor at the Faculty of Architecture,

University of Belgrade The University of Belgrade () is a public university, public research university in Belgrade, Serbia. It is the oldest and largest modern university in Serbia. Founded in 1808 as the Belgrade Higher School in revolutionary Serbia, by 1838 it me ...

, at the Department of Designing Commercial and Industrial Buildings. Five years later he became a Corresponding Member, and in 1963 a regular member of SANU (

Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts The Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts (; , SANU) is a national academy and the most prominent academic institution in Serbia, founded in 1841 as Society of Serbian Letters (, DSS). The Academy's membership has included Nobel Prize, Nobel la ...

. He retired in 1965. Kojić died in 1987 and is buried in the Alley of the Greats at

Novo Groblje The New Cemetery ( sr-Cyrl-Latn, Ново гробље, Novo groblje) is a cemetery complex in Belgrade, Serbia, with a distinct history. It is located in Ruzveltova street in Zvezdara municipality. The cemetery was built in 1886 as the third ...

in Belgrade.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kojić, Branislav Serbian architects 1899 births 1986 deaths