Raul Goldoni
(1919–1983)
Reclining Nude, 1978
casting, bronze
34 × 25 × 55 cm
MG-4326

A Croatian painter, printmaker, and sculptor whose remarkable oeuvre left a lasting mark on the Croatian art scene of the 20th century, Raul Goldoni graduated in painting in 1942 from the Academy of Fine Arts in Zagreb under the mentorship of Marino Tartaglia. He continued his studies at the Academy of Fine Arts in Rome from 1942 to 1943. Early in his career, he devoted himself to applied arts, particularly the design of representative interiors, demonstrating his ability to connect artistic expression with functional space.
In the 1960s, Goldoni turned permanently to sculpture, moving beyond painting and immersing himself in the world of three-dimensional art. He became particularly captivated by working with glass, creating series of utilitarian objects that simultaneously transcended their functional purpose to become works of high aesthetic value. His sculptural oeuvre is characterized by the shaping of free forms and rounded organic shapes, as well as figurative compositions that often allude to crystallized forms of animal and human figures.
In his glass sculptures, the artist strove to achieve purity and permanence of form. He consciously intervened in the interior of the glass mass, shaping works that are simultaneously seductive in the rhythm and balance of their external volumes and in their internal qualities such as translucency and reflection. Through meticulous surface treatment of the volume, he filtered and regulated the passage of light, creating an effect of deep transparency and strongly integrating the sculptures into the space around them.
Goldoni successfully translated his distinctive sculptural poetics—based on organic, dynamic masses of core and edge—into his bronze works as well. Reclining Nude exemplifies how he developed anthropomorphic volumes into rounded, almost natural forms, establishing a harmony between sculptural expression and the natural origins of form.
His artistic practice testifies to a constant pursuit of exploring material, form, and space. Rich in both utilitarian objects and sculptures of high artistic value, Goldoni’s body of work remains a significant contribution to Croatian modern art.

Text: Tatijana Gareljić, Museum Advisor, National Museum of Modern Art © National Museum of Modern Art, Zagreb
Photo: Goran Vranić © National Museum of Modern Art, Zagreb