Ivan Meštrović, Croatia and the World

As part of a retrospective exhibition celebrating the 140th anniversary of Ivan Meštrović’s birth, the Institute of Art History, Klovićevi Dvori Gallery, and the Ivan Meštrović Museums are organising a scientific and professional conference with the aim of reexamining the life and work of Ivan Meštrović (Vrpolje, 1883 – South Bend, Ind., USA, 1962) from new perspectives.

Ivan Meštrović’s work has strongly marked Croatian art in the 20th century, especially in the domain of sculpture. He created for a full six decades, leaving an indelible mark with his public monuments and architectural interventions. There is hardly any significant art collection in Croatia or the world that does not possess his works. Meštrović actively participated in shaping the political events in the first half of the 20th century and was a crucial figure in the social and political scene. Praised and contested, viewed in creative phases as well as integrally, his oeuvre has undergone numerous valorisations and revalorisations. Each era interpreted Meštrović’s sculptures in its own way, emphasizing their values and uniqueness. The field of his activity and influence is very complex and diverse, requiring interdisciplinary research and different perspectives. The goal of the conference is to gather experts from various scientific fields and disciplines, especially art historians, who will, through new research and insights, move away from established judgements and assessments that accompanied Meštrović’s life and work, both before and after his death, in the period of professional and scientific valorisation of his activities.

In line with the above, submissions are welcome that will address various aspects of Meštrović’s creativity in the national and international context, his life, and his importance as an indispensable protagonist in social life. Contributions that critically evaluate previous interpretations of his work will be particularly appreciated.

The official languages of the conference are Croatian and English. Presentations of up to 15 minutes are expected. Applications are accepted until Monday, 22 January 2024, at 12.00 PM, and applicants will be notified of the acceptance of their presentations by 2 February 2024. Participation is registered by submitting an abstract of up to 150 words and a brief professional biography of the presenter, up to 70 words, to the e-mail addresses of the members of the organising committee Irena Kraševac (ikrasevac@ipu.hr) and Petar Prelog (pprelog@ipu.hr.).

The conference organisers are unable to reimburse participants for travel expenses and the cost of staying in Zagreb. There is no registration fee for participation in the conference.

The organisers plan to publish the conference papers in an internationally peer-reviewed book.

Organisers:

Institute of Art History
Klovićevi Dvori Gallery
Ivan Meštrović Museums

Organising committee:

Irena Kraševac, Institute of Art History, Zagreb
Dalibor Prančević, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences of the University of Split
Petar Prelog, Institute of Art History, Zagreb
Iva Sudec Andreis, Klovićevi Dvori Gallery, Zagreb
Petra Vugrinec, Klovićevi Dvori Gallery, Zagreb
Barbara Vujanović, Ivan Meštrović Museums, the Meštrović Atelier, Zagreb

Conference secretaries:

Ana Ćurić, Institute of Art History, Zagreb
Ana Fistanić, Klovićevi Dvori Gallery, Zagreb

IMPORTANT INFORMATION:

Application deadline: 22 January 2024 at 12.00 PM
Application by submitting an abstract and a brief biography to the following addresses: ikrasevac@ipu.hr and pprelog@ipu.hr
Notification of application acceptance: 2 February 2024
Conference date: 26 and 27 February 2024
Venue: Klovićevi Dvori Gallery, Zagreb

-
Contact: Petar Prelog, Irena Kraševac