Marko Čelebonović ( sr-Cyrl, Марко Челебоновић; 21 November 1902 – 23 June 1986) was a Serbian painter. Čelebonović was one of the most famous

Serbia , image_flag = Flag of Serbia.svg , national_motto = , image_coat = Coat of arms of Serbia.svg , national_anthem = () , image_map = , map_caption = Location of Serbia (gree ...

n painters of the 20th century.Marko Čelebonović
.

Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts The Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts (; , SANU) is a national academy and the most prominent academic institution in Serbia, founded in 1841 as Society of Serbian Letters (, DSS). The Academy's membership has included Nobel Prize, Nobel la ...

Biography

Čelebonović was born in

Belgrade Belgrade is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Serbia, largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers and at the crossroads of the Pannonian Basin, Pannonian Plain and the Balkan Peninsula. T ...

. He studied law and economics in

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

and

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

. His first public exhibition was in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

in 1925. Before

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

he resided in Saint Tropez. During the years of war, he was a member of the

French Resistance The French Resistance ( ) was a collection of groups that fought the German military administration in occupied France during World War II, Nazi occupation and the Collaboration with Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy#France, collaborationist Vic ...

. After the war he returned to

Yugoslavia , common_name = Yugoslavia , life_span = 1918–19921941–1945: World War II in Yugoslavia#Axis invasion and dismemberment of Yugoslavia, Axis occupation , p1 = Kingdom of SerbiaSerbia , flag_p ...

and from 1948 to 1960, he was a professor at the Academy of Fine Arts in Belgrade. During this time, he had numerous shows in Paris, Belgrade,

Zürich Zurich (; ) is the list of cities in Switzerland, largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zurich. It is in north-central Switzerland, at the northwestern tip of Lake Zurich. , the municipality had 448,664 inhabitants. The ...

Geneva Geneva ( , ; ) ; ; . is the List of cities in Switzerland, second-most populous city in Switzerland and the most populous in French-speaking Romandy. Situated in the southwest of the country, where the Rhône exits Lake Geneva, it is the ca ...

Sarajevo Sarajevo ( ), ; ''see Names of European cities in different languages (Q–T)#S, names in other languages'' is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Bosnia and Herzegovina, largest city of Bosnia and Herzegovina, with a population of 2 ...

Skopje Skopje ( , ; ; , sq-definite, Shkupi) is the capital and largest city of North Macedonia. It lies in the northern part of the country, in the Skopje Basin, Skopje Valley along the Vardar River, and is the political, economic, and cultura ...

and

Niš Niš (; sr-Cyrl, Ниш, ; names of European cities in different languages (M–P)#N, names in other languages), less often spelled in English as Nish, is the list of cities in Serbia, third largest city in Serbia and the administrative cente ...

, as well as taking part in a number of collective shows of French painters in France and

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

, and in Yugoslav exhibitions in France, England,

Belgium Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. Situated in a coastal lowland region known as the Low Countries, it is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeas ...

, the

Netherlands , Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...

, and

Brazil Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...

. In 1963 he was awarded the "7th July" prize for life's work. In the spring of 1923, upon his return from England, he appeared at the free Paris school Grande Chaumière in the studio of

Antoine Bourdelle Antoine Bourdelle (; 30 October 1861 – 1 October 1929), born Émile Antoine Bordelles, was an influential and prolific French sculptor and teacher. He was a student of Auguste Rodin, a teacher of Giacometti and Henri Matisse, and an important ...

, with the intention of devoting himself to

sculpture Sculpture is the branch of the visual arts that operates in three dimensions. Sculpture is the three-dimensional art work which is physically presented in the dimensions of height, width and depth. It is one of the plastic arts. Durable sc ...

. However, already in summer 1923 he began painting in his own studio and from then on completely devoted himself to painting. In May 1925 he exhibited for the first time in the ''Salon des Tuileries'', and in June he left for

Saint Tropez Saint-Tropez ( , ; ) is a commune in the Var department and the region of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, Southern France. It is west of Nice and east of Marseille, on the French Riviera, of which it is one of the best-known towns. In 2018 ...

. He worked with many colleagues including, most notably,

Édouard Vuillard Jean-Édouard Vuillard (; 11 November 186821 June 1940) was a French painter, decorative artist, and printmaker. From 1891 through 1900, Vuillard was a member of the avant garde artistic group Les Nabis, creating paintings that assembled areas ...

, Paul Signac,

Albert Marquet Albert Marquet (; 27 March 1875 – 14 June 1947) was a French painter. He initially became one of the Fauve painters and a lifelong friend of Henri Matisse. Marquet subsequently painted in a more naturalistic style, primarily landscapes, bu ...

, André Dunoyer de Segonzac, and Kostia Terechkovitch. For this reason, his art bears many a characteristic of French painting and French tradition. Much of Čelebonović's work is parallel to the tradition exhibited by the 1930 generation of French artists. However, be nonetheless maintained a more Balkan and Oriental tone in his works. Čelebonović's best works are characterized by an

Oriental The Orient is a term referring to the East in relation to Europe, traditionally comprising anything belonging to the Eastern world. It is the antonym of the term ''Occident'', which refers to the Western world. In English, it is largely a meto ...

touch, Oriental preference for ripeness and violence of color, such as the meaning of silence and its light, of gentle restrained gesture, the weight of the seated or lying human body. The rational element is present in his painting, but always submerged under authentic affective attitude to life. Although he spent his years in France, he was always closely attached to the Yugoslav painters who occasionally visited France (

Sreten Stojanović Sreten Stojanović ( sr-cyr, Сретен Стојановић; 2 February 1898 – 29 October 1960) was a Serbian sculptor, university professor and art critic. His artistic individuality was best observed in portraits made of various materials. ...

, Marino Tartaglia,

Petar Lubarda Petar Lubarda (Serbian Cyrillic: Петар Лубарда); 27 July 1907 – 13 February 1974) was a Serbian painter. Biography He was born in Ljubotinj, near Cetinje, Principality of Montenegro. Lubarda's father was an officer of the Royal Y ...

). In 1937 he had his first independent show in Belgrade, and in 1938 he exhibited with the ''Twelve'' group. In those years he occasionally visited Yugoslavia, painted in Belgrade and on the Montenegrin Littoral, visited

medieval In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of World history (field), global history. It began with the fall of the West ...

monasteries and was an active presence in the art of the period. In his later years, Celebonovic quoted ''"My life and work have been determined by my attitude towards Yugoslavia. I have linked the fate of my art with Yugoslav painting. How one grows and attains maturity is a question apart. The influence of French painting upon myself and others is natural enough. After all, who has ever been free from influence?'' His decorations and awards include: award for painting at the first memorial of

Nadežda Petrović Nadežda Petrović ( sr-Cyrl, Надежда Петровић; 11/12 October 1873 – 3 April 1915) was a Serbian painter and one of the women war photography pioneers in the region. Considered Serbia's most famous expressionist and fauvis ...

Čačak Čačak ( sr-Cyrl, Чачак, ) is a List of cities in Serbia, city and the administrative center of the Moravica District in central Serbia. It is located in the West Morava Valley. According to the 2022 census, the city itself has a population ...

, the 7th of July award for life achievement, golden plaque for painting at the third triennial of visual arts in Belgrade, Order of brotherhood and unity, Order of merit to the people, Order of labour and Order of the Republic with golden wreath. An exhibition featuring his selected works was opened in the Gallery of SANU in early 2019.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Celebonovic, Marko 1902 births 1986 deaths Artists from Belgrade 20th-century Serbian painters Serbian male painters Yugoslav expatriates in the United Kingdom Yugoslav expatriates in France 20th-century Serbian male artists

Biography

See also

References