Ibrahim Likmetaj Kodra (22 April 1918 – 7 February 2006) was an Albanian

painter Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a solid surface (called the "matrix" or "support"). The medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush, but other implements, such as knives, sponges, and ...

Biography

Kodra was born in Ishëm (Ishmi), Albania, son of Murat and Xhixhe.Biography
ibrahimkodra.com His mother died when he was young, and he did not receive adequate treatment from his stepmother. His father was working in the Commercial Marine.
Ibrahim took art classes from Odhise Paskali during 1929, focusing on sport as well. Kodra practiced discus and

hammer A hammer is a tool, most often a hand tool, consisting of a weighted "head" fixed to a long handle that is swung to deliver an impact to a small area of an object. This can be, for example, to drive nails into wood, to shape metal (as wi ...

throw, without pretending any professional career in sport, since those disciplines were not even present in Albania at that time. While taking drawing classes, one of his drawings would come into the focus of Queen Geraldine. This would change his course of life, and later it would be speculated that he was friend of Prince Tati and part of the royal circle, which was not true, though it never seriously bothered the artist. In 1938, he went to

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

to study

fine arts In European academic traditions, fine art is developed primarily for aesthetics or creative expression, distinguishing it from decorative art or applied art, which also has to serve some practical function, such as pottery or most metalwor ...

supported by a

scholarship A scholarship is a form of financial aid awarded to students for further education. Generally, scholarships are awarded based on a set of criteria such as academic merit, diversity and inclusion, athletic skill, and financial need. Scholars ...

from the Albanian Kingdom, and there he won a second scholarship from the Italian government as an emerging talent with the intervention of Jacomoni, and went to study in

Milan Milan ( , , Lombard: ; it, Milano ) is a city in northern Italy, capital of Lombardy, and the second-most populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of about 1.4 million, while its metropolitan city ...

in the

Academy of Fine Arts of Brera The Accademia di Belle Arti di Brera ("academy of fine arts of Brera"), also known as the or Brera Academy, is a state-run tertiary public academy of fine arts in Milan, Italy. It shares its history, and its main building, with the Pinacoteca d ...

. In 1944 he opened his first workshop in

; in 1948 he opened a personal and group exposition in the "Art Club" in

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus ( legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

, where he met and become friend of

Pablo Picasso Pablo Ruiz Picasso (25 October 1881 – 8 April 1973) was a Spanish painter, sculptor, printmaker, ceramicist and Scenic design, theatre designer who spent most of his adult life in France. One of the most influential artists of the 20th ce ...

, which often will be contested on artistic reflections. In 1950 he painted

fresco Fresco (plural ''frescos'' or ''frescoes'') is a technique of mural painting executed upon freshly laid ("wet") lime plaster. Water is used as the vehicle for the dry-powder pigment to merge with the plaster, and with the setting of the plast ...

s in the most important museums and buildings of Milan. Kodra then opened an exposition with Picasso,

Henri Matisse Henri Émile Benoît Matisse (; 31 December 1869 – 3 November 1954) was a French visual artist, known for both his use of colour and his fluid and original draughtsmanship. He was a draughtsman, printmaker, and sculptor, but is known prim ...

Amedeo Modigliani Amedeo Clemente Modigliani (, ; 12 July 1884 – 24 January 1920) was an Italian painter and sculptor who worked mainly in France. He is known for portraits and nudes in a modern style characterized by a surreal elongation of faces, necks, and ...

Georges Rouault Georges Henri Rouault (; 27 May 1871, Paris – 13 February 1958) was a French painter, draughtsman and print artist, whose work is often associated with Fauvism and Expressionism. Childhood and education Rouault was born in Paris into a po ...

, Dufy and others in the Mostra del Disegno in

Chiavari Chiavari (; lij, Ciävai ) is a comune (municipality) in the Metropolitan City of Genoa, in Italy. It has about 28,000 inhabitants. It is situated near the river Entella. History Pre-Roman and Roman Era A pre-Roman necropolis, which dates ...

(Italy). He had many other personal expos all around the world, including: *Collective exposition in "Paradise" with

Salvador Dalí Salvador Domingo Felipe Jacinto Dalí i Domènech, Marquess of Dalí of Púbol (; ; ; 11 May 190423 January 1989) was a Spanish Surrealism, surrealist artist renowned for his technical skill, precise draftsmanship, and the striking and bizarr ...

, Matta, Ernst,

Carlo Levi Carlo Levi () (29 November 1902 – 4 January 1975) was an Italian painter, writer, activist, communist, and doctor. He is best known for his book '' Cristo si è fermato a Eboli'' (''Christ Stopped at Eboli''), published in 1945, a memoir of ...

Braque Georges Braque ( , ; 13 May 1882 – 31 August 1963) was a major 20th-century French painter, collagist, draughtsman, printmaker and sculptor. His most notable contributions were in his alliance with Fauvism from 1905, and the role he play ...

, etc. *Collective exposition in "Mostra del disegno e dell'incisione contemporanea" in 1943 in

, with Emilio Vedova, Renato Guttuso,

Giacomo Manzù Giacomo Manzù, pseudonym of Giacomo Manzoni (22 December 1908 – 17 January 1991), was an Italian sculptor. Biography Manzù was born in Bergamo. His father was a shoemaker. Other than a few evening art classes, he was self-taught in s ...

, Cassinari, Morlotti, etc. *Collective exposition in "Mostra del disegno italiano contemporaneo" in

1954, with

, Modigliani, Rouault and Dufy *Collective exposition in

(Galleria Montenapoleone, 1954), with

Joan Miró Joan Miró i Ferrà ( , , ; 20 April 1893 – 25 December 1983) was a Catalan painter, sculptor and ceramicist born in Barcelona. A museum dedicated to his work, the Fundació Joan Miró, was established in his native city of Barcelona ...

, Birolli, Delaunay, Ernst, Kokoschka, Léger and Severini *Collective expo in the Stone Gallery in Newcastle with

Corneille Pierre Corneille (; 6 June 1606 – 1 October 1684) was a French tragedian. He is generally considered one of the three great seventeenth-century French dramatists, along with Molière and Racine. As a young man, he earned the valuable patrona ...

Gear A gear is a rotating circular machine part having cut teeth or, in the case of a cogwheel or gearwheel, inserted teeth (called ''cogs''), which mesh with another (compatible) toothed part to transmit (convert) torque and speed. The basic ...

, Gleghorn, Michaux, Millares, etc. *Numerous collectives in Milan, the Stone Gallery in Newcastle, "Senator" in

Stuttgart Stuttgart (; Swabian: ; ) is the capital and largest city of the German state of Baden-Württemberg. It is located on the Neckar river in a fertile valley known as the ''Stuttgarter Kessel'' (Stuttgart Cauldron) and lies an hour from the Sw ...

, and also in the "New Art Center" in Zurich. *Personal expo in Modern Art Gallery in

Pristina Pristina, ; sr, / (, ) is the capital and largest city of Kosovo. The city's municipal boundaries in District of Pristina, Pristina District form the largest urban center in Kosovo. After Tirana, Pristina has the second largest population o ...

. *Personal expo in Princess Hall in

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

and personal expo the "2D Gallery" in

Sassari Sassari (, ; sdc, Sàssari ; sc, Tàtari, ) is an Italian city and the second-largest of Sardinia in terms of population with 127,525 inhabitants, and a Functional Urban Area of about 260,000 inhabitants. One of the oldest cities on the island ...

. His works are in the Museum of Vatican, in the Chamber of Deputies (House of Representatives) of the Italian Parliament in Rome, in exclusive private collections all around the world. In 1996 he won the "Honor of the Nation" award from Albania ( sq, Nderi i Kombit), and in 1997, shortly after painting Albania Fantastica he was appointed honorary consul and he was given a diplomatic passport to the Republic of Albania. Varri i Ibrahim Kodrës, Ishëm

He died in

in 2006. Kodra was buried in front of Ishëm Castle according to his will to be buried there. His house in

is converted in a museum, with the initiative of Fatos Fasliu, president of "Ibrahim Kodra Foundation" in Milan. In February 2010, a museum dedicated to his work was opened in Melide,

Lugano Lugano (, , ; lmo, label= Ticinese, Lugan ) is a city and municipality in Switzerland, part of the Lugano District in the canton of Ticino. It is the largest city of both Ticino and the Italian-speaking southern Switzerland. Lugano has a populat ...

, with the support of Albanian entrepreneur Behgjet Pacolli and the "Ibrahim Kodra" Foundation (Fondazione per i Ragazzi del mondo di Ibrahim Kodra), a

Swiss Swiss may refer to: * the adjectival form of Switzerland *Swiss people Places * Swiss, Missouri *Swiss, North Carolina * Swiss, West Virginia *Swiss, Wisconsin Other uses * Swiss-system tournament, in various games and sports * Swiss Internation ...

cultural organization supporting emerging art talents and promoting Kodra's work.

Awards

Honor of Nation Order The "Honour of the Nation" Decoration ( sq, Dekorata "Nderi i Kombit") is the highest decoration to be given in Albania, among the Civil awards and decorations of Albania, and was instituted by special law No. 8113, of 28 March 1996, entitled ''Pë ...

, by President of the Republic of Albania, 1996

Museum

Kodra works are kept in the Museum of the Vatican, in the

Chamber of Deputies The chamber of deputies is the lower house in many bicameral legislatures and the sole house in some unicameral legislatures. Description Historically, French Chamber of Deputies was the lower house of the French Parliament during the Bourbon R ...

of the Italian Parliament, in the Kosova National Art Gallery of

, in the collection of art of the City of

, in the art gallery of the basilica santuario di Santa Maria de Finibus Terrae and of

Santa Maria di Leuca Santa Maria di Leuca, often spelled simply Leuca (, from ''Leukos'', "white"), is a '' frazione'' of the '' comune'' of Castrignano del Capo, in the Salento peninsula ( Apulia), southern Italy. A part of the town once belonged to the ''comune'' o ...

Catalogs and bibliography

*''Kodra das Fantastische in der Kunst ; Vernissage am 7. März 1984 ... anläßlich der Partnerstadt-Aktion "Die Lombardei & Mailand"'' (1984),

OCLC OCLC, Inc., doing business as OCLC, See also: is an American nonprofit cooperative organization "that provides shared technology services, original research, and community programs for its membership and the library community at large". It wa ...

179755168,

Frankfurt am Main Frankfurt, officially Frankfurt am Main (; Hessian: , " Frank ford on the Main"), is the most populous city in the German state of Hesse. Its 791,000 inhabitants as of 2022 make it the fifth-most populous city in Germany. Located on it ...

– Hertie Zeil *''Ibrahim Kodra : opere degli anni '80'' (1982), Michele Prisco; Giorgio Celli; Carmelo Strano,

849043385,

Palermo Palermo ( , ; scn, Palermu , locally also or ) is a city in southern Italy, the capital of both the autonomous region of Sicily and the Metropolitan City of Palermo, the city's surrounding metropolitan province. The city is noted for its ...

– La Tela Petruso *''Ibrahim Kodra : colori d'acque e d'Albania'', Aldo Gerbino; Ivan Caric; Giorgio Celli,

849043391 *''Dal 13 al 28 marzo 1976 per una ricerca comune Ibrahim Kodra più Gigi Gherard'' (1976),

797452882,

Monza Monza (, ; lmo, label= Lombard, Monça, locally ; lat, Modoetia) is a city and ''comune'' on the River Lambro, a tributary of the Po in the Lombardy region of Italy, about north-northeast of Milan. It is the capital of the Province of Mo ...

– Galleria Agrati *''Kodra'' (1982), Paul Éluard; Enrico Crispolti; Renzo Bertoni,

849031229,

– Edizioni Centro d'Arte La Tela *''Kodra, një univers'' (1992), Abdulla Tafa,

255014199,

Tirana Tirana ( , ; aln, Tirona) is the capital and largest city of Albania. It is located in the centre of the country, enclosed by mountains and hills with Dajti rising to the east and a slight valley to the northwest overlooking the Adriatic Sea ...

– Enti ART *''Il lungo inverno (The long winter)'' (1988), Roberto Ruberto; Ibrahim Kodra,

52561452, Milan – Rosone*''Ibrahim Kodra : atalogue', Ibrahim Kodra, Antonino De Bono,

22099930, Series: Profili del Comanducci *''Il Carpine. Galleria d'arte'' (1966), Ibrahim Kodra, Walter Fedler,

25750755,

*''Solarità mediterranee'' (2004), Ibrahim Kodra,

60681846,

– Palazzo della Regione *''Nga Ishmi në Brera : Kujtime'' (2000), Ibrahim Kodra, Demetrio Patituc̦it, ,

48038281, Onufri,

*''Ibrahim Kodra : artist file : study photographs and reproductions of works of art with accompanying documentation 1930?–1990'',

855508359,

–

Museum of Modern Art The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) is an art museum located in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, on 53rd Street between Fifth and Sixth Avenues. It plays a major role in developing and collecting modern art, and is often identified as one of t ...

*''Ibrahim Kodra'' (1974), Antonino De Bono,

487777958 *''Ibrahim Kodra'' (1972),

717918057,

La Spezia La Spezia (, or , ; in the local Spezzino dialect) is the capital city of the province of La Spezia and is located at the head of the Gulf of La Spezia in the southern part of the Liguria region of Italy. La Spezia is the second largest cit ...

– Galleria Il Gabbiano *''Kodra'' (1974), Carlo Munari,

220465417,

– Collana d'oro maestri del mediterraneo *''Ibrahim Kodra e il Teatro Massino'' (1997),

799494763, Palermo – Centro Paolo Borsellino *''Ibrahim Kodra : Palazzo Municipale dal 16/11 al 9/12/84'' (1984), Ibrahim Kodra, Cernusco. Assessorato alla Cultura,

313541343, Milan – Tipogr. B.C.S. r. *''Ibrahim Kodra : 25 marzo-20 Aprile 1972'' (1972),

2606927,

Naples Naples (; it, Napoli ; nap, Napule ), from grc, Νεάπολις, Neápolis, lit=new city. is the regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 909,048 within the city's adm ...

– Galleria d'arte "Il Tarlo" *''Ibrahim Kodra : mostra personale del pittore 14 marzo – 3 aprile 1959'', Milan – Galleria Bergamini,

272565950 *''Ibrahim Kodra : Galerija e Artit Prishtinë Jugosllavia, Korrik 1968'' (1968), Anton Çetta,

780550902,

Yugoslavia Yugoslavia (; sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Jugoslavija, Југославија ; sl, Jugoslavija ; mk, Југославија ;; rup, Iugoslavia; hu, Jugoszlávia; rue, label= Pannonian Rusyn, Югославия, translit=Juhoslavij ...

– Umetnička Galerija Priština *''Ibrahim Kodra : omaggio a Positano'' (2006), Massimo Bignardi,

849322394 *''Sav taj crtež : 17 međunarodnih izložba (originalnog) crteža'' (2009), Daina Glavočić; Ljubica Dujmović Kosovac; Andy Jelčić;Jelčić: ''Österreichischer Staatspreis für literarische Übersetzung'' 2017 Slobodan Drenovac,

781150027, ,

Rijeka Rijeka ( , , ; also known as Fiume hu, Fiume, it, Fiume ; local Chakavian: ''Reka''; german: Sankt Veit am Flaum; sl, Reka) is the principal seaport and the third-largest city in Croatia (after Zagreb and Split). It is located in Prim ...

(

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 = , capi ...

) – Muzej moderne i suvremene umjetnosti

Gallery

File:Ibrahim Kodra, Music lesson, 1997 oil on canvas, 80x100 cm.JPG, ''Music Lesson'', 1997, oil on canvas, 80x100 File:Ibrahim Kodra, The date, 1987 oil on canvas, 80x100 cm.JPG, ''The date'', 1987, oil on canvas, 80x100 File:Ibrahim Kodra, The war for peace, 1977 oil on canvas, 80x100 cm.JPG, ''The war for peace'', 1977, oil on canvas, 80x100 File:Ibrahim Kodra, The birth of the idol, 1971 oil on canvas, 80x100 cm.JPG, ''The birth of the idol'', 1971, oil on canvas, 80x100 File:Ibrahim Kodra, Seeking new idols, 1968 oil on canvas, 80 x 100 cm.JPG, ''Seeking new idols'', 1968, oil on canvas, 80x100 File:Ibrahim Kodra, The sea, 1968 oil on canvas, 80x100 cm.JPG, ''The sea'', 1968, oil on canvas, 80x100

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kodra, Ibrahim 1918 births 2006 deaths People from Durrës Modern painters Fresco painters Brera Academy alumni 20th-century Albanian painters Albanian expatriates in Italy Albanian artists