Ivan Lesiak
Birth, 1975
oil on tent canvas, 174 x 166.5 cm
MG-3915

Ivan Lesiak (1929–2008) is a prominent Croatian sculptor, painter, and graphic artist known for his rebellious, engaged, figurative, surrealist, and pop-inspired approach. His work confirms the persistence of figuration (as noted by Z. Rus) even during the high modernist period, which was largely opposed to it. He was a key member of Biafra, an artistic group active in Zagreb from 1970 to 1978, which rejected abstraction for depriving humans of a central role in art. Starting in 1974, the group organized exhibitions and street actions.
Lesiak’s work is characterized by sharp, sometimes harsh expressiveness, focusing on pressing societal issues. He explored themes of humanism and freedom in modern society while referencing ancient Egyptian art (Self-Portrait with Nefertiti, 1974), classical antiquity, late surrealism, and pop art. His work also reflects contrasts between rudimentary humor and melancholic undertones. Across all mediums, his style is marked by expressive, powerful figuration and naturalistic techniques.
Inspired by the paintings of Luca Signorelli, Miljenko Stančić, and Marc Chagall, as well as the existential themes of Miroslav Krleža’s literature (whom he also portrayed in reliefs, Krleža, 1984; Krleža, 1986), Lesiak’s art conveys deep emotional and philosophical tension.
His painting Birth (1975), executed on tent canvas, portrays the raw brutality of childbirth (the expulsion of the newborn) with intense physical strain and profound pain, evoking the cry of birth with symbolic connotations.
Lesiak graduated in sculpture from the Academy of Fine Arts in Zagreb in 1959 (under F. Kršinić). He pursued further studies in Greece (1963–1964) and Egypt (1973–1974). His reliefs reflect a poetic symbolism, while his drawings and prints critically engage with consumer society and contemporary civilization. One of his public aluminum reliefs, Love Journey (1987), is installed in Zagreb. His works are housed in numerous collections and museums both in Croatia and internationally.
Lesiak received multiple awards, including the Josip Račić Award (1983), the Vladimir Nazor Award (1996), and prizes from the Croatian Association of Fine Artists (1997) and the Croatian Academy of Sciences and Arts (2003).

Text: Željko Marciuš, museum advisor of the National Museum of Modern Art © National Museum of Modern Art, Zagreb
Photo: Goran Vranić © National Museum of Modern Art, Zagreb