Antun Augustinčić (4 May 1900 – 10 May 1979) was a Croatian sculptor active in
Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia (; sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Jugoslavija, Југославија ; sl, Jugoslavija ; mk, Југославија ;; rup, Iugoslavia; hu, Jugoszlávia; rue, label=Pannonian Rusyn, Югославия, translit=Juhoslavija ...
and the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
. Along with
Ivan Meštrović
Ivan Meštrović (; 15 August 1883 – 16 January 1962) was a Croatian sculptor, architect, and writer. He was the most prominent modern Croatian sculptor and a leading artistic personality in contemporary Zagreb. He studied at Pavle Bilinić's ...
and
Frano Kršinić
Frano Kršinić (24 July 1897 – 1 January 1982) was a Croatian sculptor active in former Yugoslavia. Along with Ivan Meštrović and Antun Augustinčić, he is considered one of the three most important Croatian sculptors of the 20th centur ...
he is considered one of the three most important
Croatian sculptors
Croatian may refer to:
*Croatia
, image_flag = Flag of Croatia.svg
, image_coat = Coat of arms of Croatia.svg
, anthem = "Lijepa naša domovino"("Our Beautiful Homeland")
, image_map =
, ...
of the 20th century.
His most notable sculptures include the ''Peace'' monument which stands in front of the
United Nations building in New York City, the ''Miner'' statue in front of the
International Labour Organization
The International Labour Organization (ILO) is a United Nations agency whose mandate is to advance social and economic justice by setting international labour standards. Founded in October 1919 under the League of Nations, it is the first and o ...
headquarters in
Geneva
Geneva ( ; french: Genève ) frp, Genèva ; german: link=no, Genf ; it, Ginevra ; rm, Genevra is the List of cities in Switzerland, second-most populous city in Switzerland (after Zürich) and the most populous city of Romandy, the French-speaki ...
, and the sculpture of
Yugoslav president
Josip Broz Tito
Josip Broz ( sh-Cyrl, Јосип Броз, ; 7 May 1892 – 4 May 1980), commonly known as Tito (; sh-Cyrl, Тито, links=no, ), was a Yugoslav communist revolutionary and statesman, serving in various positions from 1943 until his deat ...
, present in several copies throughout former Yugoslavia.
Early life
Augustinčić was born in the small town of
Klanjec
Klanjec () is a small town in northwestern Croatia, in the region of Hrvatsko Zagorje on the border with Slovenia.
History
In the late 19th and early 20th century, Klanjec was a district capital in the Varaždin County of the Kingdom of Croatia- ...
in the
Hrvatsko Zagorje
Hrvatsko Zagorje (; Croatian Zagorje; ''zagorje'' is Croatian for "backland" or "behind the hills") is a cultural region in northern Croatia, traditionally separated from the country's capital Zagreb by the Medvednica Mountain. It comprises ...
region in northern
Croatia
, image_flag = Flag of Croatia.svg
, image_coat = Coat of arms of Croatia.svg
, anthem = "Lijepa naša domovino"("Our Beautiful Homeland")
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, capit ...
, which was at the time part of
Austria-Hungary
Austria-Hungary, often referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire,, the Dual Monarchy, or Austria, was a constitutional monarchy and great power in Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. It was formed with the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of ...
. In 1918 he enrolled at the Arts and Crafts College in
Zagreb
Zagreb ( , , , ) is the capital (political), capital and List of cities and towns in Croatia#List of cities and towns, largest city of Croatia. It is in the Northern Croatia, northwest of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slop ...
, where he studied sculpting under professors Rudolf Valdec and
Robert Frangeš.
After the college became the Royal Academy of Arts and Crafts in 1922, he studied under the guidance of Ivan Meštrović until his graduation in 1924. He then received a scholarship from the French government and continued his studies at the ''
École des Arts Décoratifs
École may refer to:
* an elementary school in the French educational stages normally followed by secondary education establishments (collège and lycée)
* École (river), a tributary of the Seine flowing in région Île-de-France
* École, Savoi ...
'' and ''
École des Beaux-Arts
École des Beaux-Arts (; ) refers to a number of influential art schools in France. The term is associated with the Beaux-Arts style in architecture and city planning that thrived in France and other countries during the late nineteenth century ...
'' in Paris under the guidance of
Jean Antoine Injalbert
Jean-Antoine Injalbert (1845–1933) was a much-decorated French sculptor, born in Béziers.
Life
The son of a stonemason, Injalbert was a pupil of Augustin-Alexandre Dumont and won the prestigious Prix de Rome in 1874. At the Exposition Uni ...
.
In 1925 and 1926 Augustinčić held his first exhibitions in Paris, before returning to Zagreb and exhibiting in Zagreb in 1926 and then again in 1927 in
Lwów and Zagreb. In 1929 he was one of the founding members of the
Earth Group The Earth Group ( hr, Grupa Zemlja) was a Croatian arts collective active in Zagreb, Croatia from 1929 to 1935, when it was banned. The group aimed to defend their artistic independence against foreign influences such as Impressionism or Neoclassici ...
(
Croatian: ''Grupa Zemlja'') arts collective
which brought together prominent left-oriented sculptors, painters and architects, such as
Drago Ibler
Drago Ibler (14 August 1894 – 12 September 1964) was a Croatian architect and pedagogue. His style can be described as pure simplicity and functional architecture.
Ibler was born in Zagreb. He gained his diploma in architecture at the Te ...
,
Krsto Hegedušić
Krsto Hegedušić (26 November 1901 – 7 April 1975) was a Croatian painter, illustrator and theater designer. His most famous paintings depict the harsh life of the Croatian peasantry in the manner of naive art. He was one of the founders of ...
,
Ivan Tabaković
Ivan Tabaković (10 December 1898, Arad – 27 June 1977, Belgrade) was an Austro-Hungarian-born Serbian painter.
Biography
Tabaković was born in Arad, then part of the Habsburg Empire, in 1898, to a Serbian family. He studied at the B ...
,
Ivan Generalić
Ivan Generalić (December 21, 1914 – November 27, 1992) was a Croatian painter in the naïve tradition.
Biography
Generalić was born in Hlebine near Koprivnica. In elementary school, painting lessons were his greatest joy and as a child ...
, and many others. Augustinčić took part in several exhibitions organised by the group between 1929 and 1933, when he left the group, two years before it was banned by the authorities in 1935.
Rise to prominence
In 1930 Augustinčić created his first
equestrian sculpture
An equestrian statue is a statue of a rider mounted on a horse, from the Latin ''eques'', meaning 'knight', deriving from ''equus'', meaning 'horse'. A statue of a riderless horse is strictly an equine statue. A full-sized equestrian statue is a d ...
for the monument in
Niš
Niš (; sr-Cyrl, Ниш, ; names in other languages) is the third largest city in Serbia and the administrative center of the Nišava District. It is located in southern part of Serbia. , the city proper has a population of 183,164, while ...
, after his design won the competition out of the 23 works submitted, with prominent Yugoslav sculptors
Risto Stijović
Risto Stijović ( sr-cyr, Ристо Стијовић; 8 October 1894 Podgorica, Principality of Montenegro – 20 December 1974 Belgrade, SR Serbia, SFRY) was a Yugoslav and Serbian sculptor, considered to be one of the most original artists of ...
and
Sreten Stojanović
Sreten Stojanović ( sr-cyr, Сретен Стојановић; 2 February 1898 – 29 October 1960) was a Serbian sculptor and art critic. His artistic individuality was best observed in portraits made of various materials.
Biography
He was bo ...
coming in second and third. From then on equestrian statues became one the hallmarks of his career, notable examples being the monument to
Józef Piłsudski
), Vilna Governorate, Russian Empire (now Lithuania)
, death_date =
, death_place = Warsaw, Poland
, constituency =
, party = None (formerly PPS)
, spouse =
, children = Wan ...
in
Katowice
Katowice ( , , ; szl, Katowicy; german: Kattowitz, yi, קאַטעוויץ, Kattevitz) is the capital city of the Silesian Voivodeship in southern Poland and the central city of the Upper Silesian metropolitan area. It is the 11th most popul ...
,
Poland
Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populous ...
(commissioned in the 1930s but placed in 1991)
and his most notable work, the ''Peace'' monument, erected in front of the United Nations building in New York in 1954.
In the late 1930s he also created a couple of monuments to
King Alexander in
Sombor
Sombor ( sr-Cyrl, Сомбор, ; hu, Zombor; rue, Зомбор, Zombor) is a List of cities in Serbia, city and the administrative center of the West Bačka District in the autonomous province of Vojvodina, Serbia. The city has a total popula ...
and
Skopje
Skopje ( , , ; mk, Скопје ; sq, Shkup) is the capital and largest city of North Macedonia. It is the country's political, cultural, economic, and academic centre.
The territory of Skopje has been inhabited since at least 4000 BC; r ...
(which were later destroyed in
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
), as well as several sculptures of Croatian politician
Stjepan Radić.
Other notable works from this period include a number of family tomb
headstone
A headstone, tombstone, or gravestone is a stele or marker, usually stone, that is placed over a grave. It is traditional for burials in the Christian, Jewish, and Muslim religions, among others. In most cases, it has the deceased's name, da ...
s at the
Mirogoj Cemetery
The Mirogoj City Cemetery (, hr, Gradsko groblje Mirogoj), also known as Mirogoj Cemetery ( hr, Groblje Mirogoj), is a cemetery park that is considered to be among the more noteworthy landmarks in the city of Zagreb. The cemetery inters members o ...
in Zagreb, including ''Sorrow'' (1930), ''Moses'' (1932) and ''Icarus'' (1935).
In 1940 he became a corresponding member of the
Yugoslav Academy of Sciences and Arts
The Croatian Academy of Sciences and Arts ( la, Academia Scientiarum et Artium Croatica, hr, Hrvatska akademija znanosti i umjetnosti, abbrev. HAZU) is the national academy of Croatia.
HAZU was founded under patronage of the Croatian bishop Jo ...
(JAZU) and his works were featured in the 1940 documentary film ''Croatian Sculptors'' (
German title: ''Bilhauerkunst in Kroatien'') filmed by
Oktavijan Miletić. During the war Augustinčić remained active and was commissioned to sculpt a bust of the Croatian ''Poglavnik''
Ante Pavelić
Ante Pavelić (; 14 July 1889 – 28 December 1959) was a Croatian politician who founded and headed the fascist ultranationalist organization known as the Ustaše in 1929 and served as dictator of the Independent State of Croatia ( hr, l ...
.
In 1943, he defected to the
Yugoslav Partisans' movement and the same year made the bust of
Josip Broz Tito
Josip Broz ( sh-Cyrl, Јосип Броз, ; 7 May 1892 – 4 May 1980), commonly known as Tito (; sh-Cyrl, Тито, links=no, ), was a Yugoslav communist revolutionary and statesman, serving in various positions from 1943 until his deat ...
in
Jajce. In 1946 Augustinčić became a professor at the Academy of Fine Arts in Zagreb, and after the war he was made a member of the
People's Assembly.
In 1949 he was made a full member of the Yugoslav Academy, and from the 1950s onwards he started making
portrait
A portrait is a portrait painting, painting, portrait photography, photograph, sculpture, or other artistic representation of a person, in which the face and its expressions are predominant. The intent is to display the likeness, Personality type ...
s,
art nude
The nude, as a form of visual art that focuses on the unclothed human figure, is an enduring tradition in Western art. It was a preoccupation of Ancient Greek art, and after a semi-dormant period in the Middle Ages returned to a central position ...
s and
figurative sculptures. In the years after the war he made a number of notable sculptures, such as the monuments to
Josip Broz Tito
Josip Broz ( sh-Cyrl, Јосип Броз, ; 7 May 1892 – 4 May 1980), commonly known as Tito (; sh-Cyrl, Тито, links=no, ), was a Yugoslav communist revolutionary and statesman, serving in various positions from 1943 until his deat ...
in Tito's birthplace of
Kumrovec
Kumrovec () is a village in the northern part Croatia, part of Krapina-Zagorje County. It sits on the Sutla River, along the Croatian-Slovenian border. The Kumrovec municipality has 1,413 residents (2021), but the village itself has only 267 peop ...
(1948), politician
Moša Pijade
Moša Pijade ( sr-Cyrl, Мoшa Пијаде; he, משה פיאדה; alternate English transliteration Moshe Piade; 4 January 1890 – 15 March 1957), nicknamed Čiča Janko (, lit. "Old Man Janko") was a Serbian and Yugoslav communist of J ...
(1953), violinist
Zlatko Baloković
Zlatko Baloković (March 31, 1895 – March 29, 1965) was a Croatian violinist.
Early years
He was born in Zagreb, Croatia (at the time part of Austria-Hungary), and began violin lessons at age ten. He made such progress that, after three years, ...
(1962), 16th century Croatian writer
Marin Držić
Marin Držić (; also ''Marino Darza'' or ''Marino Darsa''; 1508 – 2 May 1567) was a Croatian writer from Republic of Ragusa. He is considered to be one of the finest Renaissance playwrights and prose writers of Croatian literature.
L ...
(1963) and many others. His most important sculpture in this period is ''The Carrying of the Wounded'' ( hr, Nošenje ranjenika), which evolved from a sketch made in 1944 and which he used as a recurring
motif in a number of monuments he created in the following three decades,
one of which can be seen in front of the Faculty of Medicine in Zagreb.
Augustinčić, together with the Serbian painter
Đorđe Andrejević-Kun
Đorđe Andrejević-Kun (; 31 March 1904 – 17 January 1964) was a Serbian painter and academic. He designed the Coat of Arms of the City of Belgrade and reputedly designed the Coat of arms of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and ...
, also designed all of the
Yugoslav orders and decorations, and he also created the coat of arms of the
Socialist Republic of Croatia
The Socialist Republic of Croatia ( sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Socijalistička Republika Hrvatska, Социјалистичка Република Хрватска), or SR Croatia, was a constituent republic and federated state of the Social ...
(with
Vanja Radauš).
During his visit to Yugoslavia, the
Emperor of Ethiopia
The emperor of Ethiopia ( gez, ንጉሠ ነገሥት, nəgusä nägäst, "King of Kings"), also known as the Atse ( am, ዐፄ, "emperor"), was the hereditary monarchy, hereditary ruler of the Ethiopian Empire, from at least the 13th century ...
Haile Selassie
Haile Selassie I ( gez, ቀዳማዊ ኀይለ ሥላሴ, Qädamawi Häylä Səllasé, ; born Tafari Makonnen; 23 July 189227 August 1975) was Emperor of Ethiopia from 1930 to 1974. He rose to power as Regent Plenipotentiary of Ethiopia (' ...
met Augustinčić on the
Brijuni islands
The Brijuni () or the Brijuni Islands (also known as the Brionian Islands; same as it, Brioni) are a group of fourteen small islands in the Croatian part of the northern Adriatic Sea, separated from the west coast of the Istrian peninsula by t ...
.
The Emperor invited Augustinčić to design a monument which will commemorate victims of Italian reprisals in Addis Ababa and stated "''Who better than you will be able to portray the suffering of victims of fascism?''".
Augustinčić accepted the invitation and called his colleague
Frano Kršinić
Frano Kršinić (24 July 1897 – 1 January 1982) was a Croatian sculptor active in former Yugoslavia. Along with Ivan Meštrović and Antun Augustinčić, he is considered one of the three most important Croatian sculptors of the 20th centur ...
with whom he designed the ''Monument to the Victims of Fascism,'' also known as the Yekatit 12 Monument.
After he completed Yekatit 12 monument, Augustinčić also constructed the ''Monument to the Ethiopian Partisan'' in Holeta Military Academy and the ''Monument to Ras Mӓkonnen'' in
Harar
Harar ( amh, ሐረር; Harari: ሀረር; om, Adare Biyyo; so, Herer; ar, هرر) known historically by the indigenous as Gey (Harari: ጌይ ''Gēy'', ) is a walled city in eastern Ethiopia. It is also known in Arabic as the City of Saint ...
.
To provide feedback and instruction for the Harar monument, the renowned Ethiopian artist
Afewerk Tekle
Afewerk Tekle (; 22 October 1932 – 10 April 2012) was an Ethiopian artist, particularly known for his paintings on African and Christian themes as well as his stained glass.
Early life and career
Born in Ankober, in Shewa Province, to e ...
went to
Zagreb
Zagreb ( , , , ) is the capital (political), capital and List of cities and towns in Croatia#List of cities and towns, largest city of Croatia. It is in the Northern Croatia, northwest of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slop ...
where he exchanged ideas with Augustinčić.
In 1970 Augustinčić donated his works to his native town of Klanjec, where a gallery exhibiting his works opened in 1976.
His last great work was the memorial dedicated to the
1573 Peasants' Revolt and its leader
Matija Gubec
Matija Gubec (, hu, Gubecz Máté) ( 1548 – 15 February 1573), with his real name Ambroz Gubec (or ''Gobec''), was a Croatian / Slovenian (nationality still disputed) revolutionary, best known as the leader of the Croatian–Slovene Peasant Re ...
, which was erected near
Oršić Castle in
Gornja Stubica
Gornja Stubica () is a village and municipality in Krapina-Zagorje County, Croatia. According to the 2011 census, it has 5,284 inhabitants. The absolute majority of them are Croats.
Gornja Stubica is twinned with:
* Slovenske Konjice
Slovens ...
in 1973. The monument is made of bronze and stone and features a
relief
Relief is a sculptural method in which the sculpted pieces are bonded to a solid background of the same material. The term ''relief'' is from the Latin verb ''relevo'', to raise. To create a sculpture in relief is to give the impression that the ...
covering .
Gallery
File:Antun Augustinčić Vajda.JPG, ''Sorrow'', monument at the Vajda family tomb, Mirogoj cemetery
The Mirogoj City Cemetery (, hr, Gradsko groblje Mirogoj), also known as Mirogoj Cemetery ( hr, Groblje Mirogoj), is a cemetery park that is considered to be among the more noteworthy landmarks in the city of Zagreb. The cemetery inters members o ...
in Zagreb
Zagreb ( , , , ) is the capital (political), capital and List of cities and towns in Croatia#List of cities and towns, largest city of Croatia. It is in the Northern Croatia, northwest of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slop ...
, 1930
File:Monument to Liberators - Nish.jpg, ''Monument to Liberators of Niš
Niš (; sr-Cyrl, Ниш, ; names in other languages) is the third largest city in Serbia and the administrative center of the Nišava District. It is located in southern part of Serbia. , the city proper has a population of 183,164, while ...
'', 1937
File:Katowice pilsudski.jpg, Józef Piłsudski
), Vilna Governorate, Russian Empire (now Lithuania)
, death_date =
, death_place = Warsaw, Poland
, constituency =
, party = None (formerly PPS)
, spouse =
, children = Wan ...
monument in Katowice, Poland
Katowice ( , , ; szl, Katowicy; german: Kattowitz, yi, קאַטעוויץ, Kattevitz) is the capital city of the Silesian Voivodeship in southern Poland and the central city of the Upper Silesian metropolitan area. It is the 11th most populo ...
, 1936–39
File:Batina2.JPG, Monument ''Victory'' at the Battle of Batina Memorial in Batina
Batina ( hu, Kiskőszeg) is a port village on the right bank of the Danube in Baranja, Croatia. Its elevation is 105 m. Administratively, it is located in the Draž municipality within the Osijek-Baranja County.
Geography
Batina is locate ...
, 1947
File:Tito spomenik1.JPG, Josip Broz Tito
Josip Broz ( sh-Cyrl, Јосип Броз, ; 7 May 1892 – 4 May 1980), commonly known as Tito (; sh-Cyrl, Тито, links=no, ), was a Yugoslav communist revolutionary and statesman, serving in various positions from 1943 until his deat ...
monument in Kumrovec
Kumrovec () is a village in the northern part Croatia, part of Krapina-Zagorje County. It sits on the Sutla River, along the Croatian-Slovenian border. The Kumrovec municipality has 1,413 residents (2021), but the village itself has only 267 peop ...
, 1948
File:Nosenje ranjenika, Veterinarski fakultet-Zagreb.JPG, ''The Carrying of the Wounded'', Faculty of Veterinary Medicine in Zagreb, 1953
File:Antun Augustinčić e Frano Kršinić, monumento allo yehkatit 12, 1955, 02.jpg, Antun Augustinčić and Frano Kršinić, Monument to Victims of Italian Fascism in Ethiopia, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia,1955
File:Baloković bust at Mirogoj.jpg, Bust of Zlatko Baloković
Zlatko Baloković (March 31, 1895 – March 29, 1965) was a Croatian violinist.
Early years
He was born in Zagreb, Croatia (at the time part of Austria-Hungary), and began violin lessons at age ten. He made such progress that, after three years, ...
at Mirogoj Cemetery in Zagreb, 1967
File:Matija Gubec.JPG, ''Monument to the Peasants' Rebellion and Matija Gubec
Matija Gubec (, hu, Gubecz Máté) ( 1548 – 15 February 1573), with his real name Ambroz Gubec (or ''Gobec''), was a Croatian / Slovenian (nationality still disputed) revolutionary, best known as the leader of the Croatian–Slovene Peasant Re ...
'' in Donja Stubica
Donja Stubica () is a town in Croatia, about northeast of Zagreb on the northern slope of Medvednica. It is connected by the state road D307 and L202 railway. The total population is 5,680, with 2,200 people in Donja Stubica itself (census 201 ...
, 1973
References
External links
The Antun Augustinčić Galleryofficial website
Some of most famous Croatian sculptors
{{DEFAULTSORT:Augustincic, Antun
1900 births
1979 deaths
People from Klanjec
People from the Kingdom of Croatia-Slavonia
Academy of Fine Arts, University of Zagreb alumni
University of Zagreb faculty
Vladimir Nazor Award winners
Members of the Croatian Academy of Sciences and Arts
Croatian politicians
Burials at Mirogoj Cemetery
20th-century Croatian people
20th-century Croatian sculptors
19th-century Croatian sculptors
Yugoslav emigrants to the United States