Oton Gliha

The first in the series appeared in 1954, and it was a theme he developed for the rest of his life. Gliha held solo exhibitions of his work in Croatia, and abroad. He participated in the Venice Bienniales of 1962 and 1964. Two retrospective exhibitions of his work have been held at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Zagreb. Gliha received the Vladimir Nazor Award for lifetime achievement in 1977. He was elected to the Croatian Academy of Sciences and Arts in 1998. Paintings are held in public collections around the world, for example New York, São Paulo, Paris and Turin.

• Name — Oton Gliha • Born — 21 May 1914 • Birthplace — Črnomelj, Austria-Hungary, Slovenia • Died — 19 June 1999 • Place of death — Zagreb, Croatia • Known for — Painting • Training — Zagreb Academy of Fine Arts • Movement — Lyrical Abstraction • Notable Works — Gromače (Drystone Walls)

Oton Gliha was born 21 May 1914 in Črnomelj, then in Austria-Hungary, today in Slovenia. His parents were originally from Istria, on the northern part of the Croatian coast. Shortly after his birth, the family moved to Osijek, where young Oton attended primary school. In 1924, the family moved again, this time to Zagreb. Completing high school in 1933, Gliha enrolled in the Academy of fine Arts, where he studied under prominent Croatian artists such as Maksimilijan Vanka, Tomislav Krizman, Ljubo Babić. He graduated in 1937, in the class of Marino Tartaglia. While at the academy, Gliha met and married fellow art student Mila Kumbatović. Her family came from the island of Krk, where the couple would spend much of their time when not in Zagreb. The images of the island would make a strong impression on Gliha's art. In 1938, Gliha participated in his first exhibition in Zagreb, and in 1954 held his first solo exhibition. That year, the painting Primorje (Coast) introduced the Drystone Walls cycle that would become Gliha's life work. In 1957, a second solo exhibition focused completely on his paintings of the Drystone Walls of Krk. Gliha travelled and exhibited his work abroad, including several visits to Paris, Italy (in 1952 and 1961), USA (in 1958 and 1979). In 1977, Gliha received the Vladimir Nazor Award for lifetime achievement in the visual arts. In 1998, he was elected a member of the Croatian Academy of Sciences and Arts. Oton Gliha died 19 June 1999 in Zagreb.

• Špiritijera (Spirit heater), 1939 • Primorski pejzaž (Coastal landscape), 1946 • Ljubice (Violets), 1952 • Smokve (Figs), 1953 • Krčki pejzaž - Omišalj (Krk Landscape - Omišalj), 1954 • Portret žene (Portrait of a woman), 1954 • Gromače (Dry Stone Walls) cycle, 1954-1999

Recent exhibitions of his work include:

Gliha held solo exhibitions of his work in Zagreb, Rijeka, Belgrade, Ohrid, Sarajevo, Turin, São Paulo, Milan, and Genoa. He also participated at the 31st and 32nd Venice Biennial in 1962 and 1964. • 2003 Oton Gliha - Krk Drystone Walls and the Croatian Glagolithic Script, Adris Gallery, Rovinj • 1974 Oton Gliha - Paintings and Drawings, Museum of Contemporary Art, Zagreb • 1964 Oton Gliha, Museum of Contemporary Art, Zagreb

• 2009 Alternative Landscapes of the 1950s to 1960s - From Nature to Vision, Art Pavilion, Zagreb • 2008 From the Holdings of the Museum, Museum of Modern Art, Dubrovnik • 2006 Croatian Collection, Museum of Contemporary Art, Skopje

Oton Gliha's work can be found in the following public collections Brazil • Museum of Modern Art, Rio de Janeiro Croatia • Museum of Contemporary Art, Zagreb • Gallery of Fine Arts, Split • Museum of Modern Art, Dubrovnik • Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Rijeka • Rovinj Heritage Museum, Rovinj • Filip Trade Collection France • Centre Pompidou - National Museum of Modern Art, Paris Italy • Gallery of Modern and Contemporary Art, Turin Macedonia • Museum of Contemporary Art, Skopje Serbia • Museum of Contemporary Art, Belgrade United States of America • Picker Art Gallery at Colgate University, Hamilton, NY • Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York, NY