Branko Vlahović
(1924 – 1979)
Sculpture, 1976
stainless steel
56 x 46 x 25 cm
MG-3982

Branko Vlahović graduated from the Academy of Fine Arts in Zagreb (V. Radauš) in 1951 and completed his post-graduate studies under F. Kršinić in 1953. That same year he went on a three-month study trip to Paris. Since 1955, he worked as a visual culture teacher in a school in Zagreb and then in Karlovac.
He is one of the most important representatives of minimalist sculpture in Croatia. Vlahović’s sculpture from the 1960s is based on the idea of modules and the construction of component parts. In a conscious departure from traditional modes of representation or hierarchy, he quickly removed the base of the sculpture. In his early works he used the pliancy and texture of plaster to create solid forms, while his later works relied on industrial aesthetics based on materials such as black sheet metal and polished chrome. Drawings are also an important aspect of Vlahović’s work and are consistently created alongside his sculptures. Their structural, hard edges resemble technical drawings or production plans, and complement the understanding of the sculptor’s thinking. He created the public monuments Icarus in Zagreb (1960) and the Nymph in Karlovac (1964).
This work, simply titled Sculpture, is made from polished silver material, and like many of his works, has a solid composition and no base. The minimally elaborated geometric shapes are depersonalised and exact.

Text: Tatijana Gareljić, museum consultant of the National Museum of Modern Art © National Museum of Modern Art, Zagreb
Translated by: Robertina Tomić
Photo: Goran Vranić © National Museum of Modern Art, Zagreb