In Focus To See 2023 #1|#2|#3|#4|#5 OHO – and this is naïve / Picelj – on the other side of opus Croatian Museum of Naïve Art, Zagreb (through May 30, 2024) OHO – and this is naïve features works from the museum collection, from the already known glass paintings to rarely exhibited paintings, drawings, and sculptures. The exhibition is designed as a dialogue between works— with an unusual arrangement in the space they complement each other, make each other laugh, and "wink" at visitors to bring some positive energy. The second exhibition covers twenty years of collaboration between painter and graphic designer Ivan Picelj and the Museum (formerly Gallery of Primitive Art), providing a basic overview of diverse artistic approaches to exhibition posters and the relationship between the informational purpose of the poster and the subjective artistic interpretation of its message. With two new exhibitions, the Museum is announcing its relocation to the new venue in the historical Upper Town of Zagreb. ►top The Adoration of the Shepherds (Nativity), etching and engraving on homemade paper, applied on Japanese paper / Baselitz Collection, Salzburg Andrea Meldolla Schiavone – Printmaking Genius of Mannerism Museum of Fine Arts, Osijek (through December 3, 2023) To mark the 460th anniversary of the death of the great Mannerist painter and printmaker of Croatian roots Andrea Meldolla (Croatian: Andrija Medulić), known as Schiavone, the Museum of Fine Arts in Osijek opened an exhibition dedicated to his graphic oeuvre. Andrea Meldolla changed the notion of printmaking in 16th-century Europe and laid the foundations of printmaking as an independent art medium. Rembrandt, the official founder of European printmaking, stated in some records that he had learned by studying Meldolla's graphic art. Assimilating various influences, Schiavone creates an original and complex painting style of his own, which was already recognized by his contemporaries by the distinctive application of paint in stains. […] His printmaking opus of over 130 prints expands the field of inventiveness and originality of his painting, which can be seen both in the graphic technique and in the iconographic or compositional diversity of his etchings. (Milan Pelc, author of the exhibition) More than a hundred of Meldolla's prints are on view, most of which are from the Baselitz Collection in Salzburg. A small part was borrowed from the Museum of Arts and Crafts in Zagreb, the National and University Library, the Croatian Academy of Sciences and Arts, as well as prominent European heritage institutions such as the Bibliothèque nationale de France, the Kunsthistorisches Museum, and the Pinacoteca Nazionale. The Albertina Museum in Vienna lent some 20 works from its exceptional collection of prints. ►top BESTIARIVM ANTIQVVM – Menagerie of Antiquity Vučedol Culture Museum (through September 30, 2023) The exhibition at the Vučedol Culture Museum presents 214 archaeological artifacts from the Archaeological Museum in Zagreb, many of which have never been exhibited or published in professional literature. Visitors can learn more about how animals were an integral part of the everyday life of the ancient Greeks and Romans—from food, work, and trade through literature and art to love. The show examines purpose, decoration, zoomorphic symbolism, and a wider cultural and religious context, offering a broader view of the relationship between humans and animals in antiquity. Domesticated animals were kept and bred for different uses and profit, and wild animals were hunted both for sport and as a source of food. Some paraded before emperors, lived in palaces, and entertained the masses in the arena. In addition to being working, domestic, or wild, animals could also be sacred and used as sacrificial offerings for the needs of religious festivals. Roman rituals required animal sacrifices to honor the gods, so bulls, heifers, sheep, pigs, and goats were regularly sacrificed. The authors of the exhibition are Hana Ivezić and Jana Kopáčková. Credits: Vučedol Culture Museum ►top Finder of miraculous: from the Collection of the Museum of Contemporary Art in Zagreb Infeld Haus der Kultur, Vienna (through December 10, 2023) The exhibition Finder of miraculous at the Infeld Haus der Kultur in Vienna provides a representative insight into the impressive diversity of the outstanding Art Brut and Outsider Art collection of the Museum of Contemporary Art in Zagreb. On display are 50 works by 17 artists characterized by instinctive and spontaneous artistic expression. Artworks from the Infeld Collection complete the exhibition. Appreciation and recognition of Outsider Art in Croatia began in the 1990s thanks to Nada Vrkljan-Križić (1940-2012), curator at the Museum of Contemporary Art who was the first to draw attention to this outstanding nonacademic art. She also managed the Collection of Outsider Art from 1997 to 2004. The exhibition is curated by Daniela Bilopavlović Bedenik, senior curator at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Zagreb. ►top Faces of Hunger Ethnographic Museum, Zagreb (through May 2, 2023) At a time in which the world is confronted with health, climate, war, and economic crises, Faces of Hunger explore our relationship with food and the fear of its unavailability. The exhibition project is a joint effort between the Ethnographic Museum in Zagreb (EMZ) and the Institute of Ethnology and Folklore Research (IEF). The subject of hunger is presented in three parts. Fight Against the Hunger—the first and the most extensive part of the exhibition—demonstrates how people ensure the availability of food and store supplies. The second part, Hunger as a Political Tool, deals with dramatic historical events, such as the Great Famine in Ireland and the Holodomor in Ukraine. Hunger and the Body reflect on the representation and perception of the body, especially in the electronic media, raising awareness about eating disorders. Authors of the exhibition: Tanja Kocković Zaborski (EMZ) and Melanija Belaj (IEF). Photo: Nina Koydl, EMZ Archive ►top 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018