Mestrovic, the most famous sculptor of Croatia

Ivan Mestrovic is one of the most renowned artists of the early 20th century and described as the most famous in Croatia. Mainly a sculptor but also a painter, architect and writer, he was the first living artist to exhibit at the Metropolitan Museum of Arts in New York in 1947.

During his career he has always been in contact with other great artists of the time. In Vienna, he shares a studio with Gustav Klimt and is a close friend of the architect Otto Wagner.

He met the French sculptor Rodin, whom he admired and from whom he was inspired at the beginning of his career. The two artists become friends. This influence of Rodin can be seen in Mestrovic’s first major work “The Well of Life”. The work, purchased by the city of Zagreb, is still exhibited in front of the city’s National Theater. Also an architect, he designed several buildings.

Today, his work can be admired in the Mestrovic Museums in Zagreb and Split, in public spaces in several cities in Europe and also in the United States. He is a timeless artist who has always been able to convey strong emotions and messages through his work.

We come over his biography in more detail before presenting you the works to be admired in Croatia, on a stroll in Zagreb or Split.

The life of the artist

First steps

Mestrovic was born in 1883 in Croatia and spent his childhood in the Dalmatian countryside.  At the age of 17, he went to Split to study sculpture and drawing, then tried in vain to join the Academy of Vienna. Being better prepared, in particular by the sculptor Otto König, he managed to enter the Academy of Fine Arts in Vienna. He met Rodin there in 1902. The French master immediately recognized the talent of the young Mestrovic, 43 years his junior, and they became friends.

He graduated two years later and began to exhibit in Vienna and Prague. He goes to live in Paris, in a studio he rents in Montparnasse. He also spends a lot of time in Bourdelle’s and Rodin’s studio to perfect his style. He creates intensively during 2 years up to 50 sculptures.

First recognitions and successes

In 1910, he exhibited in Vienna with success and part of his work was transferred to Zagreb. The city buys The Fountain of Life (1905) for a public space. He continued to exhibit and became professor and then rector at the Academy of Fine Arts in Zagreb.

In 1911, it is the consecration: he wins the first prize for European sculpture in Rome for his Fragments of Kosovo, a group of monumental sculptures giving him international recognition. His style is then “secessionist” or “art nouveau”, very appreciated at the time.

Following the horrors of the First World War, he created in a style that was new to him: expressionism and with a mystical religiosity. This style distorts reality to accentuate emotions. However, he also draws inspiration from antique or renaissance works. Mestrovic’s Vestal (1917) is a perfect example of the interpretation of mythology in an Art Nouveau and Art Deco style.

In 1924, he began a series of exhibitions in the United States after a first successful exhibition entirely dedicated to him in Brooklyn. He decided to create a permanent exhibition space for his works in Split, now the Mestrovic Gallery, which he completed in 1939.

The Dark Years of World War II

Italy invaded Croatia in 1941. Then in Split, Mestrovic went to Zagreb and was captured by the Ustashe (a separatist movement supported by fascist regimes that eventually took control of Croatia). On the sixth night of his internment, he was awakened with a start and the order was given to kill him. He escaped punishment and was finally released in 1942. During the conflict, he always refused to conceive works for the fascist regime. He left Croatia to take refuge in Switzerland and create a masterpiece of expressionism Job (1946). This powerful work personifies suffering. It is an outlet for the artist after this traumatic period.

Settling in the USA and posterity

The United States became his adopted country after World War II, where he lost family members. He refuses to live in communist Yugoslavia but remains very attached to his country of origin. He lost two of his children during this same period and his work became marked by mourning and sadness.

He became an American citizen, taught at a university in Indiana and was even elected a member of the American Academy of Sciences and Arts. He died in 1962 and is buried in the family mausoleum he had built in his village of Dalmatia. Already 10 years before his death, he donated his art and possessions to the Croatian state.

Many of his sculptures and paintings are exhibited all over the world, some of them in public spaces. A foundation now manages the Mestrovic Museums and is responsible for bringing his art to life.

The Statue of Marko Marulić (1924)

This man is essential to the culture of the country, as the father of Croatian literature during the Renaissance. Split was under Venetian influence. His history is also marked by tragedy.

His statue is located on Trg braće Radić Square in Split, more commonly known as the Fruit Square (Vocni trg). He was the first to use the word “psychology” in writings and was an ambassador for the city of Split, which he particularly liked. He was widely recognized in Europe.

Marulic’s life is marked by a particularly sad event. He would have been the lover of a young woman from a rich family. He and his best friend Papalic shared the same feelings for this woman and alternated to visit her in secret. They had to climb a wall to reach her room. One day, Papalic asked Marulic to take his place, even though it was not his turn. Marulic agreed, but the price to pay was heavy. He later learned that his friend Papalic had been caught by guards and killed. The young woman was not spared. Hardly punished by her father, she was walled up alive. Marulic had thus lost his best friend and the woman he loved. He then took the decision to leave Split to settle in a monastery on the island of Solta.

Map legend
The yellow stars represent the location of Ivan Mestrovic’s works and museums in Split. Take a walk to these places. Click on the stars to see a photo and a description of the works.

Where to admire the masterpieces of Mestrovic in Zagreb?

The Mestrovic Pavilion of HDLU (Croatian Association of Fine Arts)

Designed by Ivan Mestrovic and completed in 1938, the building was initially dedicated to art exhibitions. It is located on Fascism Square in Zagreb. Its use has varied over the decades, from mosque to museum of the Revolution. In 1990, it was given back to the Croatian Artists’ Association and returned to its original function.

The Nicolas Tesla Statue, near the Place aux Fleurs (Cvjetni Trg Square)

In the course of his life, Mestrovic became friends with Nikola Tesla. Four years before his death, he commissioned a statue. It is now on display near the Flower Square in downtown Zagreb.

Map legend
The yellow stars represent the location of the Ivan Mestrovic works and museums in Zagreb. Take a walk to reach these places. Click on the stars to see a photo and a description of the works.

Bibliography

• Iva Mestrovic Official Website
• Wikipedia of Ivan Mestrovic
• Article about the sculpture The Well of Life
• Wikipedia of Gregory of Nin
• Article about Gregory of Nin
• Mestrovic & Rodin
• Article about Marko Marulic
• Art critic on Mestrovic
• Video about Job, from Mestrovic
• Explanations on The History of Croats