Arsen Roje
(1937. - 2007.)
Car Accident, 1966
drawing, ink, coloured ink on paper
84 x 59.5 cm
MG-8428

The artwork Car Accident reflects Roje’s interest in visual communication through shocking contrasts and unexpected combinations of motifs, characteristic of pop art. The upper part of the image depicts a chaotic car accident scene in black and white, with lifeless bodies and scattered wreckage, while the lower part features a vividly painted, hyper-realistic apple against a blank background. This stark contrast between brutal reality and an apparently trivial motif emphasizes irony and social critique, questioning the perception of consumerism, death, and everyday symbols in popular culture. Roje employs a cold, documentary aesthetic combined with surreal elements, creating a powerful visual tension that leaves the viewer unsettled and reflective.
Roje’s work was marked by an early engagement with pop art, making him one of the first representatives of this movement in Croatia. His drawings and graphic works contain references to American popular culture, featuring motifs such as sports cars, revolvers, women's lips, and bold typography. However, his success in film design stemmed not only from his choice of motifs but also from his unique way of connecting them, creating unexpected relationships between images. His most famous work is the award-winning poster for Robert Altman’s movie M.A.S.H. (1970), in which he combined three seemingly unrelated elements—a military helmet, bare female legs, and a human hand—into a surreal, humanoid figure. Beyond film design, Roje continued to explore visual communication, often experimenting with language and meaning.
Arsen Roje was a visual artist and graphic designer, known for his pioneering contributions to pop art and graphic design. In 1956, he enrolled at the Academy of Fine Arts in Zagreb but soon clashed with academic rigidity and prevailing artistic conventions, which he considered outdated. Dissatisfied with the artistic scene, he moved to Paris in 1966 and later to New York, where he gained recognition in the film industry.

Text: Lorena Šimić, curator at the National Museum of Modern Art © National Museum of Modern Art, Zagreb
Photo: Goran Vranić © National Museum of Modern Art, Zagreb