The Legacy of the Atelier Meštrović 1991 – 2011

In addition to the already existing and very valuable collection of sculptures, another representative exhibition, “The Legacy of the Atelier Meštrović 1991-2011”, will be on display until 18th March 2012 and it will present previously unknown sculptures by the greatest Croatian sculptor.

The exhibition “The Legacy of the Atelier Meštrović 1991 – 2011” can be seen at the Atelier Meštrović at Mletačka Street in the Upper Town until 18th March 2012. The exhibition has been opened to mark the 20th anniversary of the Ivan Meštrović Museum which unites the artist’s legacies in Zagreb, Split and Otavice.  

On display are a total of 14 works by the Croatian sculptor, most of which are unknown to the general public, which were created during different stages of the artist's life. These new works now complement the already existing and very valuable collection of the Atelier Meštrović, which is only one part of the legacy of the greatest Croatian sculptor. Over the past 20 years, a total of 51 works by this great author have been collected, of which the 14 that are now being exhibited cover a period of his work from 1903 to 1961.  

Thus, for the first time ever in Croatia, the audience can admire Meštrović's relief “Mother and Child”, as well as the very interesting portraits of Selma Klein, Milivoj Milić and poet Dorothy Una Ratcliff… The pride of place among the most interesting exhibits belongs to the sculpture “An Old Woman”, which dispels the common stereotypes of portraying a beautiful female body, and you can also find the portrait of the famous sculptor with whom Meštrović collaborated, Auguste Rodin.  

Atelier Meštrović is one part of the Ivan Meštrović Museum, together with the Meštrović Gallery Kaštelet-Crikvine in Split and the Church of the Sacred Redeemer in Otavice, where the sculptor was buried. One part of the legacy of the greatest Croatian sculptor, who was also an architect, can be found in the family home where Meštrović had lived from 1922 to 1942. The artist bequeathed the house to Croatia, together with 300 sculptures in stone, bronze, wood and plaster stone, drawings, lithos and furniture samples crafted according to his own design. In addition to the artist's rich archive, the Atelier also holds works by other authors with whom Ivan Meštrović had special ties. Ivan Meštrović's sculptures are currently on display around the world in the cities where he lived and worked, starting with Vienna, Paris, Rome and the United States of America.