Adela Ber Jelena Vukić

The first female artist from Bosnia and Herzegovina to be educated at an art school and a pioneer of women's rights in her country. Ber was born in Tuzla and schooled in Sarajevo, with aspirations of being a teacher. She left for Vienna in 1908, first enrolling in a private art school, then, in 1910, in a private women's art school. During her studies in Vienna, she lived in dire circumstances, unable to get a scholarship because she was a woman, the state feeling that money spent on educating women was "thrown away". Owing to her great talent, a college professor at the Vienna school decided to provide her with a free education. In June 1914, she returned to Sarajevo but due to WWI her first solo art exhibit waited until 1919.