Dimitrije Popović ( sr-cyrl, Димитрије Поповић; born 4 March 1951) is an eminent Montenegrin and

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 painter, sculptor, art critic and philosopher born in

Cetinje Cetinje ( cnr-Cyrl, Цетиње, ) is a List of cities and towns in Montenegro, town in Montenegro. It is the former royal capital ( cnr-Latn-Cyrl, prijestonica, приjестоница, separator=" / ") of Montenegro and is the location of sev ...

Montenegro , image_flag = Flag of Montenegro.svg , image_coat = Coat of arms of Montenegro.svg , coa_size = 80 , national_motto = , national_anthem = () , image_map = Europe-Mont ...

. He attended elementary and high school in his hometown and graduated from the Academy of Fine Arts 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 ...

in 1976 in the class of professor Šime Perić. Popović's works (drawings, prints, paintings, and sculptures) evolved thematically and technically through different phases, mostly inspired by Leonardo's drawings,

surrealism Surrealism is an art movement, art and cultural movement that developed in Europe in the aftermath of World War I in which artists aimed to allow the unconscious mind to express itself, often resulting in the depiction of illogical or dreamlike s ...

, Ivan Meštrović's sculptures etc. The artist lives and works in

, but he made first public appearance in Cetinje in 1969 at the Art Salon of Youth. During the 1970s he exhibited in

Podgorica Podgorica ( cnr-Cyrl, Подгорица; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Montenegro, largest city of Montenegro. The city is just north of Lake Skadar and close to coastal destinations on the Adriatic Sea. Histor ...

Bari Bari ( ; ; ; ) is the capital city of the Metropolitan City of Bari and of the Apulia Regions of Italy, region, on the Adriatic Sea in southern Italy. It is the first most important economic centre of mainland Southern Italy. It is a port 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 ...

Dubrovnik Dubrovnik, historically known as Ragusa, is a city in southern Dalmatia, Croatia, by the Adriatic Sea. It is one of the most prominent tourist destinations in the Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean, a Port, seaport and the centre of the Dubrovni ...

and Zagreb. During his residence in

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in 1974 Popović met French art collector M. Davrier. In 1978 Davrier exhibited Popović's works at the Alexander Braumüller gallery with the paintings of

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

, Ernst Fuchs, Leonor Fini, Mati Klarwein,

Victor Brauner Victor Brauner (, also spelled Viktor Brauner; 15 June 1903 – 12 March 1966) was a Romanian painter and sculptor of the surrealism (art), surrealist movement. Early life He was born in Piatra Neamț, Romania, the son of a Jewish timber manufac ...

, and Miodrag Djuric - Dado (painter), another distinguished artist from

Montenegro , image_flag = Flag of Montenegro.svg , image_coat = Coat of arms of Montenegro.svg , coa_size = 80 , national_motto = , national_anthem = () , image_map = Europe-Mont ...

. The Liberty Gallery and Universal Fine Arts of Washington prepared in 1982 a combined exhibition of prints and other graphic works of Dalí and Popović in

Pforzheim Pforzheim () is a List of cities and towns in Germany, city of over 125,000 inhabitants in the federal state of Baden-Württemberg, in the southwest of Germany. It is known for its jewelry and watch-making industry, and as such has gained the ...

. During the celebration of the 400th anniversary of

Leonardo da Vinci Leonardo di ser Piero da Vinci (15 April 1452 - 2 May 1519) was an Italian polymath of the High Renaissance who was active as a painter, draughtsman, engineer, scientist, theorist, sculptor, and architect. While his fame initially rested o ...

(1982), Dimitrije Popović exhibited in Palazzo Sormani in

Milan Milan ( , , ; ) is a city in northern Italy, regional capital of Lombardy, the largest city in Italy by urban area and the List of cities in Italy, second-most-populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of nea ...

a cycle of drawings entitled “Omaggio a Leonardo”. His crucifixions entitled "Corpus mysticum" were exhibited in

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

in Sant Andrea al Quirinale, Santa Maria del Popolo, and the Pantheon on the occasion of the celebration of two thousand years of

Christianity Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion, which states that Jesus in Christianity, Jesus is the Son of God (Christianity), Son of God and Resurrection of Jesus, rose from the dead after his Crucifixion of Jesus, crucifixion, whose ...

. Croatian

art critic An art critic is a person who is specialized in analyzing, interpreting, and evaluating art. Their written critiques or reviews contribute to art criticism and they are published in newspapers, magazines, books, exhibition brochures, and catalogue ...

Tonko Maroević wrote: “Popović’s achievement in his interpretation of the

Biblical The Bible is a collection of religious texts that are central to Christianity and Judaism, and esteemed in other Abrahamic religions such as Islam. The Bible is an anthology (a compilation of texts of a variety of forms) biblical languages ...

motif is first and foremost to be found in the universality of meaning, the transfer of temporally and spatially limited event into the general idiom of visual signs of the body. Of course, the meaning achieved is not restricted to the basic but rich in forebodings and motives, all leading into the disturbing sphere of the erotic” (From the preface to the art monograph "Dimtrije Popović – Judita, crteži", author: Tonko Maroević, published in

in 1986 by Grafički zavod

and Umjetnički muzej

). Dimitrije Popović had about 60 solo exhibitions and participated in over 150 group exhibitions and art manifestations of other kind. He also published several books and wrote for Slobodna Dalmacija,

Vjesnik ''Vjesnik'' () was a Croatian state-owned daily newspaper published in Zagreb. Originally established in 1940 as a wartime illegal publication of the Communist Party of Croatia, it later built and maintained a reputation as Croatia's newspaper ...

Večernji list (also known as '; ) is a Croatian and Bosnian-Herzegovinian daily newspaper published in Zagreb and Mostar. History and profile was started in Zagreb in 1959. Its predecessor ' ('Evening Courier') appeared for the first time on 3 June 1957 in ...

, and Montenegrin newspaper '' Vijesti''. 2023 Xenia of Montenegro statue in Cetinje

Museums and collections holding Popović’s works

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 ...

: Muzej savremene umetnosti (Museum of the Contemporary Art); Narodni muzej (National Museum); Univerzitetska biblioteka Svetozar Marković ( Belgrade University Library) *

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Royal Library of Belgium The Royal Library of Belgium ( ; ; , abbreviated ''KBR'' and sometimes nicknamed in French or in Dutch) is the national library of Belgium. The library has a history that goes back to the age of the Duke of Burgundy, Dukes of Burgundy. In ...

: Umjetnički muzej Crne Gore (Art Museum of Montenegro) *

Düsseldorf Düsseldorf is the capital city of North Rhine-Westphalia, the most populous state of Germany. It is the second-largest city in the state after Cologne and the List of cities in Germany with more than 100,000 inhabitants, seventh-largest city ...

: Heine-Museum *

: Umjetnička zbirka samostana “Mala braća” (Art collection of the convent “Little Brothers») *

Đakovo Đakovo (; , , sr-Cyrl, Ђаково) is a town in the region of Slavonia, Croatia. Đakovo is the centre of the fertile and rich Đakovo region ( ). Etymology The etymology of the name is the (diákos) in Slavic form đak (pupil). The Hungar ...

: Spomen zbirka “Josip Juraj Strossmayer” (Memorial collection “Josip Juraj Strossmayer”) *

: Palazzo Sarmani *

: Collection Davrier *

Padova Padua ( ) is a city and ''comune'' (municipality) in Veneto, northern Italy, and the capital of the province of Padua. The city lies on the banks of the river Bacchiglione, west of Venice and southeast of Vicenza, and has a population of ...

: Museo civico * Pau: Musee des Beaux Arts *

Petrinja Petrinja () is a town in central Croatia near Sisak in the historic region of Banija, Banovina. It is administratively located in Sisak-Moslavina County. On December 29, 2020, the town was 2020 Petrinja earthquake, hit by a strong earthquake wit ...

: Muzej “Krsto Hegedušić” (Krsto Hegedusic Museum) *

: Centar savremene umjetnosti (Contemporary Art Center); Moderna Galerija (Modern Art Gallery); Galerija Most (Gallery “The Bridge”) *

Rijeka Rijeka (; Fiume ( �fjuːme in Italian and in Fiuman dialect, Fiuman Venetian) is the principal seaport and the List of cities and towns in Croatia, third-largest city in Croatia. It is located in Primorje-Gorski Kotar County on Kvarner Ba ...

: Moderna Galerija (Modern Gallery) *

: Studio S – arte contemporanea *

Ravenna Ravenna ( ; , also ; ) is the capital city of the Province of Ravenna, in the Emilia-Romagna region of Northern Italy. It was the capital city of the Western Roman Empire during the 5th century until its Fall of Rome, collapse in 476, after which ...

: Centro Dantesco *

Spoleto Spoleto (, also , , ; ) is an ancient city in the Italian province of Perugia in east-central Umbria on a foothill of the Apennines. It is south of Trevi, north of Terni, southeast of Perugia; southeast of Florence; and north of Rome. H ...

: Palazzo Comunale *

Savona Savona (; ) is a seaport and (municipality) in the west part of the northern Italian region of Liguria, and the capital of the Province of Savona. Facing the Ligurian Sea, Savona is the main center of the Riviera di Ponente (the western se ...

: Museo d’arte Sandro Pertini *

Tuzla Tuzla (, , ) is the List of cities in Bosnia and Herzegovina, third-largest city of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the administrative center of Tuzla Canton of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina. As of 2013, it has a population of 110,979 inha ...

: Galerija jugoslovenskog portreta *

Vukovar Vukovar (; sr-Cyrl, Вуковар, , ) is a city in Croatia, in the eastern Regions of Croatia, regions of Syrmia and Slavonia. It contains Croatia's largest river port, located at the confluence of the Vuka (river), Vuka and the Danube. Vukova ...

: Muzej Vukovara (Civic Museum of Vukovar) *

Vatican City Vatican City, officially the Vatican City State (; ), is a Landlocked country, landlocked sovereign state and city-state; it is enclaved within Rome, the capital city of Italy and Bishop of Rome, seat of the Catholic Church. It became inde ...

Vatican Museums The Vatican Museums (; ) are the public museums of the Vatican City. They display works from the immense collection amassed by the Catholic Church and the papacy throughout the centuries, including several of the best-known Roman sculptures and ...

: Zbirka nacionalne biblioteke (Collection of the National Library); Hrvatska akademija znanosti i umjetnosti (Croatian Academy of Arts and Sciences); Metropolitana * Zbirka Biškupić (Biškupić Collection) * Washington:

Library of Congress The Library of Congress (LOC) is a research library in Washington, D.C., serving as the library and research service for the United States Congress and the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It also administers Copyright law o ...

Written works

* ''Veronikin rubac'', published in 1996 by Matica hrvatska * ''Smrt u slikarstvu'', published in 2001 by Matica hrvatska * ''Priče iz Arkadije'', published in 2005 by Ex libris

Documentary films about Dimitrije Popović

* ''Dimitrije Popović''; author: Olga Perović, RTV

Titograd Podgorica ( cnr-Cyrl, Подгорица; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Montenegro, largest city of Montenegro. The city is just north of Lake Skadar and close to coastal destinations on the Adriatic Sea. Histor ...

1981. * ''Dimitrije Popović''; author: Elsa de Giorgi, Teleroma 56,

, 1985. * ''Dimitrije Popović''; author: Miroslav Mahečić, HTV (Croatian Television),

1987. * ''Requiem''; author: Silvije Hum, HTV (Croatian Television),

1991. * ''Dimitrije Popović''; author: Eduard Galić, HTV (Croatian Television),

1992. * ''Dimitrije Popović''; author: Bogdan Žižić, HTV (Croatian Television),

1992. * ''Dimitrije Popović''; author: Eduard Galić, HTV (Croatian Television),

1995.

Bibliography

* Josip Depolo – Tonko Maroević – Veselko Tenžera,'' Dimitrije'', edition: Mladi umjetnici (Young Artists), Nacionalna i sveučilišna biblioteka,

1980, page 140. * O.P (Olga Perović), ''Crna Gora'', Likovna enciklopedija jugoslavije (Yugoslav Encyclopedia of Visual Arts), JLZ,

1984, page 135, 235. * Tonko Maroević, ''Dante i slavenski svijet / Dante e il mondo slavo'', Hrvatska akademija znanosti i umjetnosti,

1984. * Božo Biškupić – Ivan Lacković Croata, ''Crteži'', Nacionalna i sveučilišna biblioteka, GZH, Zagreb 1985. * Mario Penelope – Sergio Guarino – Elsa de Giorgi, ''Corpus Mysticum'', Biblioteca Segni, vol. XIII,

1985. * Tonko Maroević, ''Dimitrije – Judita'', Grafički zavod Hrvatske – Umjetnički muzej

1986. * Igor Zidić, ''Likovna enciklopedija Jugoslavije ( Yugoslav Encyclopedia of Visual Arts)'', vol. II,

1986. * Momo Kapor – Josip Depolo, ''Dimitrij''e, Književne novine, Beograd 1987. * Grgo Gamulin, ''Na Itaci svijet otajni'', Društvo povjesničara umjetnosti, vol. VI,

1990. * Božo Biškupić, ''Dimitrije – skulptura'', Belus,

, 1994. * Tonko Maroević – Goran Blagus, ''Dimitrije'', ''25 godina nadrealizma'', Galerija Studio D,

1995. * Milan Marović, ''Dimitrije nepoznato-poznati'', catalogue, Galerija Most,

1998.

External links

Popović's gallery
{{DEFAULTSORT:Popovic, Dimitrije 1951 births Living people Montenegrin painters Writers from Cetinje 20th-century Croatian painters Croatian male painters 21st-century Croatian painters 21st-century male artists 20th-century Croatian sculptors 21st-century Croatian sculptors Croatian writers Academy of Fine Arts, University of Zagreb alumni Artists from Cetinje Montenegrin expatriates in Croatia Croatian people of Montenegrin descent 20th-century Croatian male artists