International Painting Colony (1957)
Where brushstrokes crossed borders — since 1957.
A timeless gathering of global artists, colors, and stories born in the heart of Prilep.
The International Painting Colony, founded in 1957, is one of the oldest art colonies in the Balkans and Southeast Europe. It is a pioneering space where visual dialogue between global artists first took root in Macedonia. Initiated by Prof. Dr. Bosko Babic and academic painter Prof. Risto Lozanovski, the colony quickly became a crossroads for cultures, techniques, and contemporary artistic expressions.
Held continuously for over six decades, every summer colony transforms Prilep into a vibrant canvas, attracting painters from across continents. Here, creation meets collaboration, and landscapes inspire legacies. Each session adds new works to a growing collection that now forms one of the most significant cultural archives in the country.
More than just an artistic gathering, the colony embodies an enduring commitment to free expression, intercultural exchange, and community. With each brushstroke, a new connection is made between the past and present, the local and global, the personal and the universal.