Damjan Prelovšek (born 18 February 1945 in

Ljubljana {{Infobox settlement , name = Ljubljana , official_name = , settlement_type = Capital city , image_skyline = {{multiple image , border = infobox , perrow = 1/2/2/1 , total_widt ...

) is a

Slovenia Slovenia, officially the Republic of Slovenia, is a country in Central Europe. It borders Italy to the west, Austria to the north, Hungary to the northeast, Croatia to the south and southeast, and a short (46.6 km) coastline within the Adriati ...

art historian Art history is the study of artistic works made throughout human history. Among other topics, it studies art’s formal qualities, its impact on societies and cultures, and how artistic styles have changed throughout history. Traditionally, the ...

, and an expert on the architect

Jože Plečnik Jože Plečnik () (23 January 1872 – 7 January 1957) was a Slovenian architect who had a major impact on the modern architecture of Vienna, Prague and of Ljubljana, the capital of Slovenia, most notably by designing the iconic Triple Bridge a ...

. He was the Slovenian ambassador in

Prague Prague ( ; ) is the capital and List of cities and towns in the Czech Republic, largest city of the Czech Republic and the historical capital of Bohemia. Prague, located on the Vltava River, has a population of about 1.4 million, while its P ...

from 1998 to 2003.

Early life

Prelovšek studied art history at the Faculty of Arts in

Ljubljana {{Infobox settlement , name = Ljubljana , official_name = , settlement_type = Capital city , image_skyline = {{multiple image , border = infobox , perrow = 1/2/2/1 , total_widt ...

, where he graduated in 1969 and received his doctorate in 1977 with a dissertation on the Slovenian architect Plečnik in

Vienna Vienna ( ; ; ) is the capital city, capital, List of largest cities in Austria, most populous city, and one of Federal states of Austria, nine federal states of Austria. It is Austria's primate city, with just over two million inhabitants. ...

Cultural career

From 1971 onwards, he worked at the Institute of Art History of the ZRC

SAZU The Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts ( (SAZU)) is the national academy of Slovenia, which encompasses science and the arts and brings together the top Slovene researchers and artists as members of the academy. Cultural significance Establis ...

and was appointed Director of the Institute in 1995. His publications were mainly about the Slovenian architect Jožet Plečnik, his life and work. He collected extensive documentary and photographic material on the architect. He also prepared exhibitions on the creative work of Plečnik. From 1998 to 2002 he was Ambassador of the

Republic of Slovenia Slovenia, officially the Republic of Slovenia, is a country in Central Europe. It borders Italy to the west, Austria to the north, Hungary to the northeast, Croatia to the south and southeast, and a short (46.6 km) coastline within the Adriati ...

to the

Czech Republic The Czech Republic, also known as Czechia, and historically known as Bohemia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the south ...

. Since 2006 he has been Director of the Department of Cultural Heritage at the Slovenian Ministry of Culture. For four years, from 1998 to 2002, he was Slovenian ambassador in

. He is a member of the

European Academy of Sciences and Arts The European Academy of Sciences and Arts (EASA, ) is a transnational and interdisciplinary network, connecting about 2,000 recommended scientists and artists worldwide, including 38 Nobel Prize laureates. The European Academy of Sciences and ...

Academic career

He was a visiting professor at the

University of Salzburg The University of Salzburg (, ), also known as the Paris Lodron University of Salzburg (''Paris-Lodron-Universität Salzburg'', PLUS), is an Austrian public university in Salzburg, Salzburg municipality, Salzburg (federal state), Salzburg State, ...

in 1990, 1991 and 1996.

Athletic career

From the mid-1960s to the early 1970s, he competed as a Yugoslav slalom canoeist. He finished 17th in the C-1 event at the

1972 Summer Olympics The 1972 Summer Olympics (), officially known as the Games of the XX Olympiad () and officially branded as Munich 1972 (; ), were an international multi-sport event held in Munich, West Germany, from 26 August to 11 September 1972. It was the ...

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 ...

Awards

In 2015, the France Stelet Institute of Art History dedicated to him the extensive multilingual collection “Patriae et orbi: Studies on Central European Art: Jubilee Collection for Damjan Prelovšek”. The World Masters Committee in Korea presented the World Master to Prelovsek at the Hanguk University of Foreign Studies in Yongin on 26 September 2016.

References

External links

Damjan PRESLOVSEK
at CanoeSlalom.net 1945 births Canoeists at the 1972 Summer Olympics Living people Olympic canoeists for Yugoslavia Yugoslav male canoeists Slovenian male canoeists Slovenian art historians Slovenian diplomats Members of the European Academy of Sciences and Arts Ambassadors of Slovenia to the Czech Republic {{Yugoslavia-bio-stub