Open-Air Sculpture Gallery – Monumental Marble Heritage (Since 1963)

Since its founding in 1963, the International Sculpture Symposium "MARBLE" – organized by the Center for Contemporary Art – Prilep – has established one of the most unique and enduring urban art initiatives in Southeast Europe: the Open-Air Sculpture Gallery.

This ever-growing gallery features over 150 monumental marble sculptures, created by international and Macedonian artists across six decades of symposium sessions. Carefully placed in the heart of Prilep, as well as in Skopje and Bitola, these artworks form a permanent outdoor exhibition that blends nature, architecture, and fine art into one harmonious whole.
 

Carved from the world-renowned Sivec white marble, each sculpture bears the signature of its creator and serves as a visual narrative of artistic thought, evolution, and international exchange. The gallery not only beautifies the urban landscape, but also provides citizens and visitors with an open, daily encounter with contemporary sculpture – turning streets, parks, and squares into cultural landmarks.

The project represents a rare continuity of artistic presence in public space, rooted in community, supported by institutions, and celebrated by generations. With every new symposium, new marble stories are written and added to this timeless collection, reinforcing Prilep’s status as a city of sculpture and a capital of open-air cultural heritage.