Money in China
The first objects to be used as money by the people of China were natural seashells. This marked the beginning of a transition from the old system whereby goods were traded and bartered to a new of monetary symbols. Then after the advent of the Bronze Age, the Chinese people, endowed with rich natural resources, replaced seashells with bronze coins as the main currency, which was also supplemented by the circulation of precious metals such as gold and silver. This practice was totally different with that of the Western world where a great quantity of gold and silver was used. Later, with the emergence of the marketplace, all kinds of money appeared and gradually developed into a full-fledged and inter grated credit currency system with the progress of human civilizations.
The time-honoured history of money in China dates back than 4,000 years and the types of money that have been used are many and varied, including that made in copper, gold, silver, iron, lead and paper.
The alteration of money often reflects the vicissitude of a country and the little coins can tell the rise and fall as well as successes and failures of a country.
Therefore, for those who are interested in China, a good knowledge of China's money will undoubtedly serve as a key to this ancient oriental county.
We sincerely hope that visitors to this exhibition will be able to further their knowledge and understanding of Chinese history and culture through an appreciation of the long history of Chinese money.
"Arbre-Totem" and Ela Kinowska's "Kanadiana"
The Town Museum of Sombor, December 8th 2005 at 18.00
Kanadiana
The exhibition consists of 14 sepia toned black and white prints, taken over the last decade in Canada. Ela Kinowska explores the beauty of the ruggedly Canadian landscape through the viewfinder of her 35 mm camera and discovers the hidden treasures of her new homeland. Whether playing with the children in a park or paddling in a canoe she intuitevly seeks to capture the wonder of the passing moments that fascinate her and reflect something about her adopted homeland – Canada.
Ela Kinowska was born and raised in Poland, and immigrated to Canada in 1990. Since her arrival in Canada she has participated in 22 shows in Canada and Europe. Her artistic style builds on the philosophy of Henri Cartier-Bresson, where the most important thing for a photographer is to capture a decisive moment. Ela′s photography has a human focus aiming at documenting the challenges of the present, reflecting on the past and bringing hope for the future.
"Arbre-Totem"
Throughout the ages, artists have always to situate themselves in a specific environement and time. Reading of artwork can not be disassociated from that. Choosing the theme tree-totem was more an invitation to reflexion than a restraint to our creation. This subject integrates two icons of the Canadian identity. The frist one talks about the forest as a habitat, an environement, the second evokes the presence of the human through one of his very first cultural signs in North-America.
Francisko de Goya y Lucientes "Los Caprichos"
After Belegrade exhibition in Instituto Cervantes Belgrade and "Cvjeta Zuzorić" gallery, "LOS CAPRICHOS" was set up in The Town Museum of Sombor.
An offical opening was on Friday, 18th of March 2005 at 6.00 PM in the presence of almost 400 people.
The exhibition was opened by Mr. Juan Fernandez Elorriaga, director of Instituto Cervantes Belgrado, who made possible the exbition to came to Sombor. Mr Robert Kolar, Deputy Secretary of Science, Education and Culture in the AP Vojvodina and Mr.Branimir Mašulović, director of The Town Museum of Sombor have also spoken in the opening.
Francisko de Goya was born on 30th March 1746 in Fuendetodos (Zaragoza). His father, José Goya, was a modest gilder. After studying at the Escuelas Pias in Zaragoza the fourteen year-old Goya started to train as a painter with José Luzan. His training was conventional and typical of its time, based on copying French and Italian prints. After several failed attempts to obtain help from the Academy of Beaux-Arts of San Fernando in Madrid to travel to Italy, he finally saw his talent recognized for the first time in 1771 when he obtained a special mention from the Academy of Parma. In the same year he was commissioned to paint the frescoes in the dome of the church of Nuestra Senora del Pilar in Zaragoza. Goya completed the work the following year having adopted a baroque style with distinct suggestions of the influence of Correggio.
In 1773 he married Josefa Bayeu, sister of the famous painters Ramón and Francisco. The support of these two and particularly of the latter, proved to be key in Goya's future artistic career. It was at this time that Goya started a period of intense activity that included his paintings for the Carthusian monastery of Aula Dei in Zaragoza.
Towards the end of 1774 he moved to Madrid with a commission to draw cartoons for the Royal Tapestry Factory . His themes, taken from the festive and carefree moments of daily life, were rococo in spirit but already showed the first signs of a new approach to artistic style: Dance on the Banks of the Manzanares, The Guy, The Harvest etc.
Goya was appointed painter to the King in 1786 and Painter of the Chamber on 30th April, 1789. Owing to his posts at court he soon became on of the chosen painters of the Spanish aristocracy and received many commissions for portraits. By the end of his life Goya had painted some two hundred and fifty portraits, some of considerable importance such as the paintings of Charles IV and María-Luisa of Parma or The Family of Charles IV.
In 1792 Goya contracted a serious illness which left him deaf for the rest of his life. Deafness soured his character and possibly had some influence on the later development of his style.
At the end of War of Independence he painted the famous pictures The Second of May 1808: the Charge of the Mamelukes and The Third of May 1808. Unable to endure the absolutism of Ferdinad VII, Goya moved to Bordeaux in 1824 where he lived surrounded by other liberals in exile and where he painted his last work, The Milkmaid. For many this painting is a forerunner of Impressionism. He died in 1828. Goya is universally recognized as the painter who initiated the modern period in art.
Los Caprichos
Goya's firs series of engravings, Los Caprichos, was published in 1799. 
Their conception probably coincided with the serious illness which Goya contracted at the beginning of the 1790's and which left him permanently deaf. An exploration of the possibilities offered by “Caprices” or “Inventions”, free of the limits imposed by official commissions, would have been possible during his convalescence. The origin of the series has also been linked to a sentimental upset he suffered in his relationship with the Duchess of Alba in1796. The eighty images were advertised in the Madrid Gazette of 6th February, 1799 as a “Collection of prints on fanciful subjects, created and etched in aqua fortis by Don Francisco de Goya”.
The highly-charged critical content of the Caprichos aroused the interest of the Inquisition and the fear of repercussions led to the prints being quickly withdrawn from sale. 
Goya donated the 80 plates and all the prints which had not been sold to the King; these appear in the inventory of the Calografia Nacional in 1803. Goya had described the prints as dealing with “whimsical subjects which were designed to ridicule certain things and to stamp out time-honoured prejudices, impostures and hypocrisies”. The first 36 images deal with love and prostitution together with themes such as the miseducation of children, marriages of convenience, maternal cruelty, greed, monastic gluttony, smuggling, etc. Prints 37 to 42 are all of asses. From print 43 onwards there are many images of witches, spirits, monks and devils.
The Caprichos were widely distributed and soon became known outside Spain. They represented a new method of portraying reality, bringing it closer to the nineteenth-century artists.
The Caprichos mark the end of the cold, neo-classical engraving style.
An official opening the project "Introducing Modern technology in the City Museum of Sombor"
February 23rd 2005
Exhibition - Major Archaeological Discoveries of China in the 20th Century
As one of the four oldest civilizations of the world, China abounds whit archaeological resources. During the 20th century, China's archaeology witnessed its birth growth and full bloom, interspersed with many world-class achievements. This exhibition of "100 Major Discoveries" presented here are the crown jewels of the period, hand-picked under the auspices of the Institute of Archaeology, division of the Social Science Academy of P.R. China.
The featured discoveries cover the entire known Chinese civilization. Here, audience will find a diversity of Chinese cultural artifacts- the Yuanmon Man of 1.7 million years ago is on exhibit, so is the Ding Ling Mausoleum of the Ming Dynasty dating from the 17th century.
European Heritage Days in Museum
17.09.2004. The 1st day, The Town Museum has taken part in the marking of European Heritage Days, a flag on front of the building.
23.09.2004. In front of the Museum, Water currier car, reconstructed and protected. During all day Ilija Mirković drives Water currier car all around the Garland.
Opening of an exhibit "Water – A Sense of Duration", a welcoming speech by Branimir Mašulović, director of The Museum, then speech about manifestation by Viktorija Lakatoš, PR of a Muesum and an opening speech – Nikita Andrejev, civil engineer.
After opening in the Museum yard – children's theatrical performance "Polivači" from elementary school "Dositej Obradović", scenario and directed by Radmila Delić, professor of history.
"Dodole" (dodola- girl who sings for rain) from performance, girls from "An Golden Apple"authentic vocal group.
After performance, "Dodole" in a folk costume in front of the barn for wheat on sled.
photographies by Dragan Radojević, custodian archeologist
European Heritage Days
In Europe, this cultural manifestation is held during September every year, also in the Town Museum of Sombor, since 2003.
The aim of this manifestation is to promote this cultural diversity as a treasury, because culture is a treasury of the loftiest values, recollections, traditions and history of diverse national and international heritage. European Heritage days gives an in insight onto heritage of the world at large as well as its regions, including each and every country. Cooperation, communication, tolerance and respecting differences is a pre-requiste to the survival this manifestation – European Heritage Days.
This manifestation is significant also for motivating young people in art expression and creativity, the protection of cultural and historical monuments and their surroundings and during the manifestation, on a theme for this year "Water - Sense of Duration" there are exhibitions, art colonies, theatre play, literary evenings and round tables organized and similar in all cultural institutions .
The manifestation will focus on the cultural heritage and young people.
The event is to unfold in three stages, made up of the exhibitions during manifestations from 11 to 30 September 2004.
In addition Serbia's Culture Ministry and the Town Museum of Sombor