The Museum of Fine Arts (), is an
art museum
An art museum or art gallery is a building or space for the display of art, usually from the museum's own Collection (artwork), collection. It might be in public or private ownership, be accessible to all, or have restrictions in place. Although ...
in
Split
Split(s) or The Split may refer to:
Places
* Split, Croatia, the largest coastal city in Croatia
* Split Island, Canada, an island in the Hudson Bay
* Split Island, Falkland Islands
* Split Island, Fiji, better known as Hạfliua
Arts, enter ...
, Croatia containing works from the 14th century up to the present day providing an overview of the artistic developments in the local art scene. The museum was founded in 1931, and has a permanent exhibition of paintings and sculptures that includes works by major Croatian artists such as
Vlaho Bukovac
Vlaho Bukovac (; ; 4 July 1855 – 23 April 1922) was a Croatian painting, painter and academic. His life and work were eclecticism, eclectic, for the artist pursued his career in a variety of locales and his style changed greatly over the course ...
,
Mato Celestin Medović,
Branislav Dešković,
Ivan Meštrović
Ivan Meštrović (; 15 August 1883 – 16 January 1962) was a Croatian and Yugoslav sculptor, architect, and writer. He was the most prominent modern Croatian sculptor and a leading artistic personality in contemporary Zagreb. He studied at Pa ...
,
Emanuel Vidović
Emanuel Božidar Vidović (24 December 1870 – 1 June 1953) was a Croatian painter and graphic artist from Split.
Emanuel Vidović was instrumental in bringing the modern art ideas to Split. From 1900 he was an active member of the Literary-Ar ...
and
Ignjat Job
Ignjat "Ignjo" Job ( sr-Cyrl, Игњат Јоб; 28 March 1895 – 28 April 1936) was an important representative of colour expressionism in the art scene of Yugoslavia during the 1930s. Job's landscapes of Dalmatia are reminiscent of the style o ...
. The museum also has an extensive collection of
icon
An icon () is a religious work of art, most commonly a painting, in the cultures of the Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox, Catholic Church, Catholic, and Lutheranism, Lutheran churches. The most common subjects include Jesus, Mary, mother of ...
s, and holds special exhibits of works by contemporary artists.
In 2009 the museum relocated to new premises in the old hospital building in Split, completely refurbished to provide a fully modern exhibit space.
History
In 1908, a
Dalmatia
Dalmatia (; ; ) is a historical region located in modern-day Croatia and Montenegro, on the eastern shore of the Adriatic Sea. Through time it formed part of several historical states, most notably the Roman Empire, the Kingdom of Croatia (925 ...
n art exhibition was held, the first to bring
modern art
Modern art includes artistic work produced during the period extending roughly from the 1860s to the 1970s, and denotes the styles and philosophies of the art produced during that era. The term is usually associated with art in which the tradit ...
to the city. Local artists, writers, musicians and architects at that time were training in other parts of Europe, bringing back exciting new trends. The Dalmatian governor, Nicholas Nardelli, bought several pieces from the show to form the basis of a new art gallery, giving them into the care of Kamilo Tončić, the director of the School of Crafts. Over the next 20 years, the collection grew and the art gallery idea was promoted. Approval was granted by the city in 1928, and the first exhibit opened to the public in 1931. Originally housed in a building in Lovretska Street, the museum's first director was Kamilo Tončić, the curator was Angjeo Uvodić, and restorer Cata Dujšin. At the grand opening some 300 works of art were on display, from a total of 500 in the permanent collection.
Over the years the collection grew through acquisitions, donations and bequests, most notably from
Ivo Tartaglia
Dr. Ivo Tartaglia (; 5 February 1880 – 3 April 1949) was "a committed anti-fascist",
a former '' ban'' (governor) of the province of Littoral Banovina ( Croatian/ Serbo-Croat: ''Primorska banovina''), and the 32nd mayor of Split, Yugoslavia (i ...
, who donated over 300 works of art from his private collection. During the period 1950–1979, under the direction of
Kruno Prijatelj
Kruno Prijatelj (1922–1998), was a Croatian art historian, art critic and University professor.
He introduced many artists who contributed to art in Dalmatia. Prijatelj's efforts answered many unsolved topics in Dalmatian art history.
His int ...
, the gallery started running art education programs, published numerous publications, and began organizing exhibitions by contemporary artists. Today, holdings number more than 3,500 works covering the period from the 14th century up to the present day, representing all the major artistic developments in the area.
Space in the original premises was limited and in 2001, Split City Council granted use of the old hospital building for conversion into a new exhibiting space. Because of the sensitive historic nature of the building (which dates from 1792) and its location next to the north wall of
Diocletian's palace
Diocletian's Palace (, ; ) is an ancient Roman palace and fortress complex built at the end of the third century AD by the Roman Emperor Diocletian as his retirement residence. About half of the complex was for Diocletian's personal use, with th ...
, the renovation necessarily involved the
Ministry of Culture Ministry of Culture may refer to:
* Ministry of Tourism, Cultural Affairs, Youth and Sports (Albania)
* Ministry of Culture (Algeria)
* Ministry of Culture (Argentina)
* Minister for the Arts (Australia)
* Ministry of Culture (Azerbaijan)Ministry o ...
and its Department for Protection of Cultural Heritage – Conservation Department in Split. Following the refurbishment, a fully modern exhibition space was created, appropriate for museum's growing collection. The new museum provides office and restoration workshops, as well as public areas and exhibit spaces.
The ground floor is designed with an indoor atrium and north terrace with space for concerts, lectures and other performances throughout the year. The indoor atrium also offers visitors a bookstore, museum shop, and café. Upstairs is the main exhibit space for the permanent collections. The north wing houses the restoration workshops, and an archive library.
Collections
The museum's permanent collection includes more than 3,500 works of art dating from the 14th century up to the present day. The holdings provide an overview of all the major art movements and trends in the local area, and include works by
Croatian artists
Croatian may refer to:
*Croatia
*Croatian language
*Croatian people
*Croatians (demonym)
See also
*
*
* Croatan (disambiguation)
* Croatia (disambiguation)
* Croatoan (disambiguation)
* Hrvatski (disambiguation)
* Hrvatsko (disambiguation)
* Se ...
and artists from the former
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 ...
,
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 ...
,
Germany
Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...
,
Austria
Austria, formally the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine Federal states of Austria, states, of which the capital Vienna is the List of largest cities in Aust ...
,
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 ...
, and 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 ...
, all of whom have a connection to Split.
The museum's
restoration department focuses on the conserving the works and preparing them for public display. The museum also houses a large documentation archive of
graphics
Graphics () are visual images or designs on some surface, such as a wall, canvas, screen, paper, or stone, to inform, illustrate, or entertain. In contemporary usage, it includes a pictorial representation of the data, as in design and manufa ...
, publications, press clippings, and photograph library.
Icons
The Museum of Fine Arts has one of the richest
icon
An icon () is a religious work of art, most commonly a painting, in the cultures of the Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox, Catholic Church, Catholic, and Lutheranism, Lutheran churches. The most common subjects include Jesus, Mary, mother of ...
collections in Croatia, with works from the 15th to 19th century on display. In addition to those from the
Cretan School
Cretan school describes an important school of icon painting, under the umbrella of post-Byzantine art, which flourished while Crete was under Venetian rule during the late Middle Ages, reaching its climax after the fall of Constantinople, beco ...
, and
Ionian school, holdings include icons from
Russia
Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...
and from the Greek mainland. Of special interest are icons from the 18th–19th century painted by masters from
Boka Kotorska
The Bay of Kotor ( sh-Latn-Cyrl, Boka kotorska, Бока которска, separator=" / ", ), also known as the Boka ( sh-Cyrl, Бока), is a winding bay of the Adriatic Sea in southwestern Montenegro and the region of Montenegro concentrated a ...
.
The icons are mostly of small and medium sizes, indicating the original purpose of private devotion.
Old masters
The early section covers 14th–18th centuries, and most notably includes work by the 14th-century Venetian artist
Paolo Veneziano
Paolo Veneziano, also Veneziano Paolo or Paolo da Venezia (active by 1333, died after 1358) was a 14th-century painter from Venice, the "founder of the Venetian school (art), Venetian School" of painting, probably active between about 1321 and 13 ...
. Other artists include
Andrija Alesi and
Juraj Čulinović Juraj is a given name used in a number of Slavic languages, including Czech, Slovak, and Croatian.
The English equivalent of the name is George.
Notable people
* Juraj Chmiel (born 1960), Czech diplomat and politician
* Juraj Dobrila (1812–1 ...
(15th century),
Albrecht Dürer
Albrecht Dürer ( , ;; 21 May 1471 – 6 April 1528),Müller, Peter O. (1993) ''Substantiv-Derivation in Den Schriften Albrecht Dürers'', Walter de Gruyter. . sometimes spelled in English as Durer or Duerer, was a German painter, Old master prin ...
,
Andrija Medulić (16th century),
Girolamo Brusaferro
Girolamo Brusaferro was an Italian painter of the 18th century, active in his native Venice. He was a pupil of Niccolo Bambini and Sebastiano Ricci. He has paintings in various churches in Venice including the Santa Maria dei Carmini, Carmini. He ...
, and
Matej Ponzoni and
Federiko Benković
Federico Bencovich (; 1677 – 8 July 1753), also known as Federighetto or Ferighetto Dalmatino among others, was a Croatian-Italian late Baroque painter from Venetian Dalmatia. Although was among prominent painters of his era in North Italy, Ger ...
(17th century).
19th century and modern art
The collection of 19th century and
modern art
Modern art includes artistic work produced during the period extending roughly from the 1860s to the 1970s, and denotes the styles and philosophies of the art produced during that era. The term is usually associated with art in which the tradit ...
forms the largest part of the museum's holdings. From the 19th century, the portraits by
Juraj Pavlović and
Ivan Skvarčina
Ivan () is a Slavic male given name, connected with the variant of the Greek name (English: John) from Hebrew meaning 'God is gracious'. It is associated worldwide with Slavic countries. The earliest person known to bear the name was the Bul ...
are notable. The collection contains paintings by
Vlaho Bukovac
Vlaho Bukovac (; ; 4 July 1855 – 23 April 1922) was a Croatian painting, painter and academic. His life and work were eclecticism, eclectic, for the artist pursued his career in a variety of locales and his style changed greatly over the course ...
,
Emanuel Vidović
Emanuel Božidar Vidović (24 December 1870 – 1 June 1953) was a Croatian painter and graphic artist from Split.
Emanuel Vidović was instrumental in bringing the modern art ideas to Split. From 1900 he was an active member of the Literary-Ar ...
,
Mato Celestin Medović,
Ignjat Job
Ignjat "Ignjo" Job ( sr-Cyrl, Игњат Јоб; 28 March 1895 – 28 April 1936) was an important representative of colour expressionism in the art scene of Yugoslavia during the 1930s. Job's landscapes of Dalmatia are reminiscent of the style o ...
,
Juraj Plančić and
Marino Tartaglia
Marino Tartaglia (3 August 1894 – 21 April 1984) was a Croatian painter and art teacher, for many years a professor at the Academy of Fine Arts, Zagreb.
From 1948 he was a member of the Croatian Academy of Sciences and Arts. He received t ...
. Sculptural works include pieces by
Ivan Rendić
Ivan Rendić (27 August 1849 – 29 June 1932) was a Croatian sculptor.
Biography
He began sculpting early on in life, thanks to the stoneworking tradition of the island of Brač, where he was raised. He finished arts school in Venice in 1871 ...
,
Branislav Dešković and
Ivan Meštrović
Ivan Meštrović (; 15 August 1883 – 16 January 1962) was a Croatian and Yugoslav sculptor, architect, and writer. He was the most prominent modern Croatian sculptor and a leading artistic personality in contemporary Zagreb. He studied at Pa ...
.
The collection also contains works by
Vladimir Becić
Vladimir Becić (1886–1954) was a Croatian painter, best known for his early work in Munich, which had a strong influence on the direction of modern art in Croatia.
Becić studied painting in Munich at the prestigious Academy of Arts along wit ...
,
Oskar Herman,
Miroslav Kraljević,
Ljubo Babić
Ljubomir Tito Stjepan Babić (14 June 1890 – 14 May 1974) was a Croatian artist, museum curator and literary critic. As an artist, he worked in a variety of media including oils, tempera, watercolour, drawing, etching, and lithography. He wa ...
,
Jerolim Miše
Jerolim Miše (25 September 1890 – 14 September 1970), was a Croatian painter, teacher, and art critic. He painted portraits, still lifes and landscapes of his native Dalmatia. A member of the Group of Three, Group of Four, and the Independent ...
,
Ljubo Ivancić,
Antun Kaštelančić,
Edo Murtić,
Kosta Angeli Radovani,
Antun Masle,
Slavko Kopač
Slavko Kopač (August 21, 1913 – November 23, 1995) was a Croatian painter, sculptor and poet.
Kopač graduated from the Academy of Fine Arts in Zagreb in 1937. After graduation, as a young artist, he studied in Paris thanks to a scholarship fro ...
,
Sava Šumanović
Sava Šumanović ( sr-Cyrl, Сава Шумановић; 22 January 1896 – 30 August 1942) was a Serbian painter. He is considered to be one of the most important Serbian painters of the 20th century. Šumanović's opus includes around 800 pa ...
,
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 ...
,
Petar Dobrović
Petar Dobrović ( sr-Cyrl, Петар Добровић; ; 14 January 1890 – 27 January 1942) was a Serbian painter and politician.
Biography
Dobrović was born in Pécs, Kingdom of Hungary. A proponent of Serbian colorism, he was known for ...
and
Branko Ružić.
Contemporary art
The collection of
contemporary art
Contemporary art is a term used to describe the art of today, generally referring to art produced from the 1970s onwards. Contemporary artists work in a globally influenced, culturally diverse, and technologically advancing world. Their art is a ...
contains works of Croatian artists from the 1950s to the present day. Best known are the works of
Ivo Dulčić,
Ljubo Ivančić Ljubo () is a South Slavic masculine given name. Notable people with the name include:
*Ljubo Babić (1890–1974), Croatian painter
*Ljubo Benčić (1905–1992), Croatian and Yugoslav football player
* Ljubo Boban (1933–1994), Croatian historia ...
,
Slavko Kopač
Slavko Kopač (August 21, 1913 – November 23, 1995) was a Croatian painter, sculptor and poet.
Kopač graduated from the Academy of Fine Arts in Zagreb in 1937. After graduation, as a young artist, he studied in Paris thanks to a scholarship fro ...
,
Ferdinand Kulmer,
Branko Ružić,
Ivan Kožarić
Ivan Kožarić (10 June 1921, Petrinja – 15 November 2020, Zagreb) was a Croatian artist who worked primarily with sculpture but also in a wide variety of media, including permanent and temporary sculptures, assemblages, proclamations, photograph ...
, and
Đuro Seder
Đuro Seder (29 November 1927 – 2 May 2022) was a Croatian painter. He lived and worked in Zagreb.
Career
At the beginning of his career he worked as an illustrator, image editor, and designer at various magazines. He was one of the founding me ...
. Constructivist and geometric trends in Croatian art are represented by members of the groups EXAT-51, and New Tendencies, such as
Ivan Picelj,
Julije Knifer
Julije Knifer (23 April 1924 – 7 December 2004) was a Croatian abstract painter and a founding member of the 1960s Croatian art collective known as the Gorgona Group.
The central motif of Knifer's art is the exploration of Meander (art), meander ...
and
Juraj Dobrović. From the 1980s, there are works by
Damir Sokić
Damir is a male given name.
In the Balkans, Damir is popular among Bosniaks, Croats, and Serbs in the former Yugoslav nations, where it is interpreted as a locally originated given name, derived from ''da-'' meaning "give" and ''mir'' meaning "p ...
and
Nino Ivančić, and a group that once formed the artistic core of Split:
Kuzma Kovačić
Kuzma Kovačić (born 6 June 1952 ) is a Croatian academic sculptor and professor.
Kovačić was born at the island of Hvar, where he attended gymnasium. In 1976 he graduated at the Academy of Fine Arts in Zagreb.
He is the author of the alta ...
,
Vasko Lipovac,
Kažimir Hraste
Kažimir Hraste (born 2 February 1954) is a Croatian sculptor, illustrator, and professor.
Biography
Hraste was born on 2 February 1954 in Supetar on the island of Brač. After completing his secondary education at Split's School of Applied Ar ...
and
Gorky Žuvela Gorky may refer to:
;People
*Maxim Gorky (1868–1936), Russian author and political activist, founder of socialist realism
*Arshile Gorky (1904–1948), Armenian-American abstract expressionist painter
;Inhabited localities
*Gorky, name of Nizhny ...
. The younger generation of Croatian artists are represented by
Ana Opalić,
Lauren Živkovića Kuljiša,
Viktor Popović.
See also
*
List of museums in Croatia
Osijek
* Archaeological Museum Osijek
* Gallery of Fine Arts, Osijek
* Gallery Waldinger
* Museum of Slavonia
Split
* Froggyland
* Gallery of Fine Arts, Split
* Ivan Meštrović Gallery
* Split Archaeological Museum
* Museum of Croat ...
References
External links
*
MDC: Galerija umjetnina, Split
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gallery of Fine Arts, Split
Art museums and galleries in Split, Croatia
1931 establishments in Croatia
Art museums and galleries established in 1931