The collection Nadežda and Contemporaries contains the paintings of Nadežda Petrović and the authors who were her contemporaries, originated from 1900 to 1950. The exception is Živan Vulić's painting View on Belgrade from 1951. Yet, the painting in its style completely belongs to the noted period. They are mostly the artists who reached their artistic tendencies and creative maturity during the years between two World Wars, though there are works of the authors who started their art opus in the noted period. The aim of the purchase policy of that time was to supply works mostly painted by authors of older generation (born at the end of the 19th century and beginning of the 20th century). Today, they are the basic part of the not very big collection Nadežda and Contemporaries. Looking at it historically and artistically, the collection comprises the authors who were the pioneers of changes at the beginning of the last century, but at the same time, they were the nucleus of Serbian modern art.

The collection contains 46 paintings painted by 24 authors. 16 of them have one painting each, while the most works were painted by Nadežda Petrović (12). It were chronologically character because collection contents art works from period 1900 – 1950. /Only Nadežda Petrović’s picture Susanne and The Old Mans painted before 1900 and View on Belgrade from Živan Vulić from 1951. Besides well-known names of Serbian art scene, there are works of less known artists, as well as two Slovenians /Ferdo Vesel and Hinko Smrekar/. There are also several works painted by native painters Živan Vulić, exs professor of drawing from Čačak Gimnasium and Dragan Ćirković –the painter of Old Čačak, production designer of city’s theatre and caricaturist of Čačanski Glas our lokal newspapers.

Though there are some common characteristics (the fact that most of them were educated in Munich and that their main preoccupation was treating light problem) the authors represented in this collection belong to different trends and poetics, therefore the collection is heterogeneous in style. The works themselves from the collection are heterogeneous, though chronologically they stand together, therefore it is impossible to define its clear character. But it could be defined predominantly according to the authors represented in the collection. On the other hand, taking into account that each work of art is a result of individual endeavour in certain historical as well as social-financial conditions, a critical solving and giving valuable opinions about the collection is possible only in view of the principle of viewing the individual in the unit, that is, through individual works. Nevertheless, regardless of one fragmented review and survey of the author, ideas and creations of modern Serbian fine art of the first half of the 20th century, one can speak about viewing the most important trends and problems in art of that time.

The most significant author in the collection, who is at the same time represented with the most works, is certainly Nadežda Petrović, European modern artist and a pioneer of Serbian modern art. Beyond all the courses, Nadežda freed herself from conventional solutions as early as at the beginning of the century - she exceeded the traditional academic trend striving to degrade the firm system of the realistic painting with strong colours and dense paint faktura. In her work she managed to reconcile apparently irreconcilable - to turn her painting in style completely to contemporary European courses (Expressionism, Fauvism and Impressionism). But, at the same time, she also managed to remain thematically almost exclusively a national painter.

The Nadežda’s paintings are permanent exhibited in Nadežda’s memorial room. The art works from this collection, specially paintings of Nadežda Petrović, Beta Vukanović, Živorad Nastasijević, Ivan Radović, Dragomir Glišić, Sava Šumanović, Ana marinković, Milica Čadjević and Miloš Golubović, very offten are guests in the galleries and museums in the other cities.