Nek Chand sculptures and parts of a Rock Garden-themed installation are to be permanently displayed at the Museum of Naïve and Marginal Art (MNMA) in Jagodina, Serbia. The sculptures and installation were previously on show at the 15th International Architecture Exhibition in Venice, May 28th to November 27th 2016. About twenty Nek Chand works in concrete of various construction dates and sections of a fibre-glass display specially created for the Venice Architecture Biennale by the late Nek Chand’s son, Anuj Saini, have been transferred directly to their new home.
Arrangements for the transfer from the successful Biennale to central Serbia were made between MNMA officials, Anuj Saini and John Maizels of the Nek Chand Foundation, including a visit to Jagodina in late 2016. Initial discussions regarding the MNMA request and the movement of the Rock Garden works were held between the ambassadors to Italy of India and Serbia according to Chandigarh Union Territory Home Secretary, Anurag Agarwal, quoted in the Times of India Chandigarh edition of December 7th.
The MNMA is housed in an attractive early 20th Century building which is itself designated as a Serbian national treasure, and has been an art museum since 1960. It holds an international collection of over 3,000 works and is one of the chief cultural attractions in Jagodina, a name derived from the Serbian word for strawberry.