Ivo Kerdić (1881–1953) was a Croatian sculptor, best known for his metalwork and medallions.

Biography

Ivo Kerdić was born 19 May 1881 in Davor, a small village near

Slavonski Brod Slavonski Brod (), commonly shortened to simply Brod, is a city in eastern Croatia, near the border with Bosnia and Herzegovina. Being one of the principal cities in the historical regions of Slavonia and Posavina, Slavonski Brod was the 7th large ...

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 ...

, at that time in

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 ...

. The son of a wood merchant, he spent 4 years in elementary school, before going to Zagreb to learn the trade of locksmith in the school for artisans. In 1900, he went to Paris, where he worked during the day, and studied applied art in the evenings, learning engraving. He returned home on the death of his father, one year later. Not having the funds to resume his studies in Paris, in 1902 Kerdić went to Vienna, where he worked at the Gillar Bronze Factory, rising to foreman. Kerdić returned to Zagreb in 1913, where he took up a position as lecturer at the College of Arts and Crafts. He pioneered

bronze casting Lost-wax casting (also called "investment casting", "precision casting", or ''cire perdue'' which has been adopted into English from the French, ) is the process by which a duplicate metal sculpture (often silver, gold, brass, or bronze) is ...

at the

Academy of Fine Arts The following is a list of notable art schools. Accredited non-profit art and design colleges * Adelaide Central School of Art * Alberta College of Art and Design * Art Academy of Cincinnati * Art Center College of Design * The Art Institute o ...

, where he taught

metalworking Metalworking is the process of shaping and reshaping metals to create useful objects, parts, assemblies, and large scale structures. As a term it covers a wide and diverse range of processes, skills, and tools for producing objects on every scale ...

from 1923 to 1947. Ivo Kerdić died in Zagreb 27 October 1953.

Legacy

Kerdić's work included items of applied art, portraits and figurative compositions. Examples of his sculptures can be seen in the main and side altar of the church of St Blaze in Zagreb, the altar of St Nicolas Tavelica in the church of St Cyril and Methodius in Jerusalem. In the Zagreb area, on the Miramarska road is a crucifix by Kerdic. Although he used all kinds of different media in his sculpture, Kerdić is best known for his metalwork. he worked primarily as a medallist and is considered one of the leading exponents of his time. Kerdić created the chain of office for the Rector of Zagreb University, and the chain for the Grand Master of the Brethren of the Christian Dragon. He was responsible for creating medals for the Independent State of Croatia, such as the Crown of King Zvonimir medal, and the Ante Pavelic medal for outstanding bravery. Examples of Ivo Kerdić's medals and medallions can be seen in the Numismatic collection of the

Archaeological Museum in Zagreb The Archaeological Museum ( hr, Arheološki muzej u Zagrebu) in Zagreb, Croatia is an archaeological museum with over 450,000 varied artifacts and monuments, gathered from various sources but mostly from Croatia and in particular from the surround ...

, which consists of about 160 works of the artist, dating from 1911 onwards. The Modern Gallery in Zagreb has a larger collection of Kerdić's works: a total of 625 original works including medals, plaques, badges, award medals, coins and sculptures dating between 1905 and 1953. His work contains a glimpse of Zagreb and Croatian public life of the time, with its famous personalities and political themes. Ivo Kerdić Matko

Exhibitions

Solo exhibitions

Recent exhibitions of his work include: * 2011 Ivo Kerdić – Celebrating the 130th anniversary since the birth of the sculptor,

Modern Gallery, Zagreb Modern Gallery ( hr, Moderna galerija; since 2021 the National Museum of Modern Art, ) is a museum in Zagreb, Croatia that holds the most important and comprehensive collection of paintings, sculptures and drawings by 19th and 20th century Croati ...

* 2004 Ivo Kerdic works from the permanent collection, Archeological Museum of Zagreb

Group exhibitions

* 1931 Belfast Museum and Art Gallery Exhibition of Yugoslav Paintings and Sculpture * 1930 Exhibition of Yugoslav Pictures and Sculpture (Glynn Vivian Art Gallery, Swansea), 1930

Public collections

His work can be found in the following public collections * Archeological Museum in Zagreb, Croatia *

, Croatia * Glyptotheque Sculpture Museum,

Croatian 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 ...

Croatian History Museum Croatian History Museum ( hr, Hrvatski povijesni muzej) is a museum of history located in the on Antun Gustav Matoš Street in the historic Gornji Grad district of Zagreb, Croatia. The museum holdings consist of around 300,000 objects divided i ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kerdic, Ivo 1881 births 1953 deaths Croatian sculptors 20th-century Croatian sculptors