Ante Topić Mimara (7 April 1898 in Korušce – 30 January 1987 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, north of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slopes of the ...
) was a controversial
Croatia
Croatia, officially the Republic of Croatia, is a country in Central Europe, Central and Southeast Europe, on the coast of the Adriatic Sea. It borders Slovenia to the northwest, Hungary to the northeast, Serbia to the east, Bosnia and Herze ...
n
art collector
A private collection is a privately owned collection of works (usually artworks) or valuable items. In a museum or art gallery context, the term signifies that a certain work is not owned by that institution, but is on loan from an individual ...
and
philanthropist
Philanthropy is a form of altruism that consists of "private initiatives for the public good, focusing on quality of life". Philanthropy contrasts with business initiatives, which are private initiatives for private good, focusing on material ...
. He donated his collection of more than 3,700 artifacts, ranging from the
prehistoric
Prehistory, also called pre-literary history, is the period of human history between the first known use of stone tools by hominins million years ago and the beginning of recorded history with the invention of writing systems. The use o ...
to the
20th century
The 20th century began on 1 January 1901 (MCMI), and ended on 31 December 2000 (MM). It was the 10th and last century in the 2nd millennium and was marked by new models of scientific understanding, unprecedented scopes of warfare, new modes of ...
periods to the
National Museum of Serbia
The National Museum of Serbia () is the largest and oldest museum in Belgrade, Serbia. It is located in the central zone of Belgrade on a square plot between the Republic Square (Belgrade), Republic Square, formerly Theatre Square, and three stree ...
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 ...
and the
Mimara Museum
The Mimara Museum () is an art museum in the city of Zagreb, Croatia. It is situated on Roosevelt Square, housing the collection by Wiltrud and Ante Topić Mimara.
Housed in an imposing neo-Renaissance former school is the eclectic, globe-trottin ...
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, north of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slopes of the ...
. Most masterpieces of the Italian Collection and Dutch Collection in the
National Museum of Serbia
The National Museum of Serbia () is the largest and oldest museum in Belgrade, Serbia. It is located in the central zone of Belgrade on a square plot between the Republic Square (Belgrade), Republic Square, formerly Theatre Square, and three stree ...
had been donated by Mimara.
[Akinsha 2001]
In post-war years, Mimara was a consultant to the
Yugoslav military mission in Berlin and
Munich
Munich is the capital and most populous city of Bavaria, Germany. As of 30 November 2024, its population was 1,604,384, making it the third-largest city in Germany after Berlin and Hamburg. Munich is the largest city in Germany that is no ...
, where he worked on returning plundered works of art to Yugoslavia. In 1963, he sold the
Cloisters Cross to the
Metropolitan Museum of Art
The Metropolitan Museum of Art, colloquially referred to as the Met, is an Encyclopedic museum, encyclopedic art museum in New York City. By floor area, it is the List of largest museums, third-largest museum in the world and the List of larg ...
, and is vividly described by
Thomas Hoving
Thomas Pearsall Field Hoving (January 15, 1931 – December 10, 2009) was an American museum executive and consultant and the director of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Early life
He was born in New York City to Walter Hoving, the head of Tiff ...
, who made the acquisition, in his book on the work.
[Hoving 1981]
Controversy
Several highly respected art historians and contemporaries of Topić Mimara say that he appears to have stolen many of the items in his art collection while working for the Yugoslav military at a
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 ...
art collection point.
[Akinsha 2001][Hoving 1981][Hohne 1972]
According to
Thomas Hoving
Thomas Pearsall Field Hoving (January 15, 1931 – December 10, 2009) was an American museum executive and consultant and the director of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Early life
He was born in New York City to Walter Hoving, the head of Tiff ...
, "Topic Mimara's hoard of masterpieces are 95 percent fakes produced by him and his hired forgers." On its opening, a "prominent Yugoslav art historian" told AP that "it might be the greatest collection of fakes in the world." According to Konstantin Akinsha, Ante Topić Mimara built his collection by forging, but also by looting and swindling.
[Konstantin Akinsha]
Ante Topic Mimara,"The Master Swindler of Yugoslavia"
ARTnews September 2001
See also
*
Art theft and looting during World War II
Art theft and looting occurred on a massive scale during World War II. It originated with the policies of the Axis countries, primarily Nazi Germany and Japan, which systematically looted occupied territories. Near the end of the war the Soviet Un ...
Notes
For notes referring to sources, see bibliography below.
References
* Akinsha, Konstantin
"The Master Swindler of Yugoslavia" ''ARTnews'', New York, September 2001.
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Topic Mimara, Ante
1898 births
1987 deaths
Croatian art collectors
Burials at Mirogoj Cemetery
Yugoslav art collectors