The Klovićevi Dvori Gallery - A retrospective exhibition of works by Menci Clement Crnčić

Between February 16th and May 8th, the Klovićevi Dvori Gallery will feature a retrospective exhibition of works by Menci Clement Crnčić, one of the founders of Croatian landscape painting and a pioneer of modern graphic art in Croatia.

Between February 16th and May 8th, the Klovićevi Dvori Gallery will feature a retrospective exhibition of works by Menci Clement Crnčić, which will mark the 150th anniversary of the birth of this great Croatian artist.

Menci Clement Crnčić was one of the founders of Croatian landscape painting and a pioneer of modern Croatian graphic art. After graduating from the Academy of Fine Arts in Vienna, where he studied under the renowned graphic artist William Unger, he became the first trained graphics artist in Croatia. In 1896, during his studies, he won the Fuger gold medal for the best work, and a year later he won the Academy’s special award. Nine of his prints are part of the holdings of the renowned Albertina Gallery of Vienna, while his work can also be found at many other museums, galleries and in private collections.

Apart from coastal landscapes, Menci Clement Crnčić also captivated vistas of old Zagreb, mostly in the etching technique. He held his first independent exhibition in 1900/1901 at the Art Pavilion, where he presented 39 of his oils and graphics. Apart from leaving a diverse opus as a painter, he was also renowned as a pedagogue who opened the first private painting school together with Croatian painter Bela Čikoš Sesija. In 1907, the school became the Higher School for Arts and Crafts, and ultimately the Academy of Fine Arts of Zagreb.

Apart from a comprehensive insight into the works by Menci Clement Crnčić, this retrospective exhibition also presents his opus of caricatures, illustrations, posters, documentary photographs and artefacts which illustrate the great Croatian artist’s life.