120th Birth Anniversary of Milivoj Uzelac

Milivoj Uzelac (Mostar, 1897 - Cotignac, 1977), a distinguished painter, graphic artist, illustrator, is one of the most significant representatives of Croatian Modernism. As a child, he leaves his birth place Mostar and with his family moves to Banja Luka where he begins to take up painting more seriously. Thereafter he moves to Zagreb where he firstly attends Tomislav Krizman's School of painting, and therefore attends the Temporary Academy for arts and crafts in the class of Oton Iveković. In 1915 he goes to Prague to Jan Preisler where he meets with the most contemporary artistic streams. This painter of authentic distinction is unstoppable in his creative energy and in 1923 heads to the centre of European arts – Paris which inspires him with all its glory and glam. In Milivoj Uzelac's opus is a wide range of themes and motifs and various painting techniques that show the artist in a sense of constant searching. His passion and eternal inspiration are women whose beauty remains perpetuated in artistic works.

By the wish of Milivoj Uzeac, his birth place Mostar was gifted with his collection of arts and objects that today form a part of the fundus of the Gallery „Queen Katarina Kosača“. Uzelac's legacy consists of fifteen works of various qualities, but for Mostar these works of art are priceless heritage that characterize the strength of his creative spirit. (Željka Šaravanja)