Radovan Ćosić - First Photographer in Kosovo, Serbia

1875-1975

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Radovan Ćosić (1875-1975) is the pioneer of the photography era in Kosovo since 1912. and his grandson, Budimir Ćosić was the last Serbian photographer in Priština until 1999 year. Ćosić family are aboriginals of Priština, artisans, the first photographers in Kosovo, forerunners of future art.

Radovan started his photographic craft away from home, in America, in Pittsburg,Pennsylvania.

Way back in 1912, he decided to return to Priština, had taken the camera with him, hither to unknown thing for many in his hometown. He opened then the first photographic atelier, thus launching the era of photography in the region. The atelier was located downtown, in the Craft Street. At the time in Serbia, creating photography was a novelty just yet, photographic material was too hard to find. Hence, Radovan developed his own technology. He made the negatives from the material constituents he prepared and mixed under the special conditions in chamber, of which would later got positives.

Radovan Ćosić transferred his knowledge, experience to his children, sons : Cvetko Ceka, Ćirilo Ćira, Slobodan (Danče), and daughters : Desanka (Desa), Stana and Borka, and those continued to their families, so that the sons-in-law and the daughters-in-law then grandchildren were gradually and with time involved in photographic craft he initiated. Finally, his great-grandchildren continued family tradition but in contemporary and multimedia format to this day .

As the family was enlarging the ateliers were spread from Priština whereas the most inherent - to Uroševac, Belgrade, Niš and Zrenjanin.

For a century already, prestige and the respect of their efforts invested in photography development, Ćosić family have preserved by their continuous work which became a family brand name and this recognized by all, the customers, other respectable artisans and reputable society representatives. As recognized photographers that expressed artistic potential and a certain extraordinary insertions and skills, they endearingly experimented with art in photography creation and realization, always in line with trends and technical development in photography area. Photographers visited the greater part of then - Yugoslavia (SFRJ) by addressing photographic in painting for their soul and for their customers needs.

Slobodan Ćosić, Radovan's son, made the first exclusive photos of Priština and then after of the other cities, cultural monuments and Monasteries, customs, important social events in the first half of the last century. As a member of flight society "Soko" , he made a marvelous panoramic photos of Priština that dedicated to the treasury capital, which as of then till nowadays testify the look of the city in its architectural conception.

Slobodan had his follower in his wife, Milica Ćosić, whom he taught about photography art and craft itself. She passed as a master craftsman the same as other Ćosić family members did. Out of their three children, Miroslav, Budimir and Budislava, Budimir was the last Serbian photographer who has lived and worked in Priština until the end of NATO bombing campaign and end of conflict in Kosovo, in 1999, when Ćosić family took the refugee to Serbia proper, where they still live and work. Slobodan, Budimir's son, is a TV cameraman and Budislava's daughter, Mirjana, she is a doctor of multimedia arts, and they as Radovan's great-grandchildren continue family tradition at photography but this time in contemporary artistic expressions.

It is a century of photographic history in this family that already behind us, however, the spirit of is still very much alive, which we cultivate and celebrate like long ago our great grandfather did, and that on the day of St. Luka, in 31st of October, Photographers Day.

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Dedicated to Ćosić family of photographers and to great-grandfather Radovan Ćosić

Great-grandson

Stojan Milosavljević, master of architecture