Mariјa Ristić completed high school (natural sciences and mathematics) while simultaneously attending the “Kosta Manojlović“ Music High School (vocal-instrumental department, piano) in Zemun. She then completed her undergraduate and master’s studies at the Faculty of Philosophy in Belgrade, in the Department of Art History. During her studies, she became a member of the National Museum Associates Club in 2009, and later interned at the “Cvijeta Zuzorić“ Art Pavilion at Kalemegdan (2014-2015), after which she acquired the state title of “curator“. She specialized in Italy in 2019, as part of research on the art of illustration supported by the Ministry of Culture and Information.

Today, she is a doctoral candidate at the Faculty of Philosophy, where she is defending her dissertation on defining illustration within the context of Serbian art history. Marija is also an associate member of Matica srpska (the oldest Serbian cultural and scientific institution, founded in 1826) and a member of ULUPUDS (The Association of Applied Arts Artists and Designers of Serbia, founded in 1953).
She has organized numerous exhibitions in Serbia and abroad. She is the winner of the traditional art criticism magazine “Likovni Život“ award as the most successful young art critic for 2022, as well as the “Aleksandar Deroko“ award given by the Municipality of Stari Grad and the Cultural Institution “Parobrod“ in Belgrade for her authentic contribution to culture in this municipal district.

Mariјa’s project “Theory of Illustration“ (which includes the exhibition “Epic Illustration“) aims to establish research methods in the field of illustration through educational and engaging exhibitions that accompany scientific research and professional work in art history, with additional presentation and explanation through accompanying programs (lectures, professional guided tours, workshops, discussions). The project is continuously developing and maintained, contributing to the historical understanding of illustration in our region and its relevance in art history - to date, there is no overview of the history of illustration at either the Faculty of Philosophy in Belgrade or the Faculty of Applied Arts in Belgrade, therefore this project contributes to highlighting this gap and theoretically filling the void.