A Retrospective Exhibition by Dušan Džamonja

Until November 16, 2008, visitors to the Museum for Arts and Crafts will have the opportunity to view a retrospective exhibition of the main works by sculptor Dušan Džamonja, the modern avant-garde sculptor who has decided to donate his works to the city in which he studied, lived and worked, Zagreb.

Until November 16, 2008, the Museum for Arts and Crafts is exhibiting a retrospective of the Croatian sculptor, Dušan Džamonja. The exhibition presents a total of 170 of the main works which the author has created throughout different phases of his life and intends to donate to the city of Zagreb. Namely, already at the beginning of the 1980s, the artist chose works from his personal collection that he intended to leave to the city in which he had studied, lived and worked. In the meantime, he has added new works to that collection. Therefore, the retrospective exhibit is an overview of Džamonja's creations during the period of the last six decades, starting from the time he was a student to works he completed just a few months ago.   

Dušan Džamonja graduated from the Academy of Fine Arts in Zagreb in 1951 and was a student of great Croatian sculptors: Vanja Radauš, Frane Kršinić and Antun Augustinčić. He began to draw public attention abroad as early as the beginning of the 1960s at the Venetian Biennial when leading fine arts critics were highly impressed by his sculptures. Through his creations he has developed an original artistic expression. The retrospective exhibition at the Museum for Arts and Crafts presents all the segments of his artistic interest, from sculptures and drawing to breadboards and proposals for architectural objects. Due to his exceptional ability to create a synthesis of architecture and sculptures,  Džamonja's monuments and architectural projects have retained the power of sculpture, while gaining another new dimension as they decorate public spaces in many cities around the world.

Throughout the six decades of his creative work, Dušan Džamonja has made a mark on the world of art in the second half of the 20th century and has become a  classic of  modern avant-garde art. He has exhibited at a few hundred independent exhibitions in different parts of the world and a number of his works are on display in some of the most eminent museums and galleries in the world.

Today, Dušan Džamonja divides his time between  Zagreb, Brussels and Vrsar, where you can find his well known sculpture park.