Category: Discover

Raul Goldoni, Reclining Nude, 1978

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

Frane Cota, King Tomislav, 1925

Frane Cota
(1898 – 1951)
King Tomislav, 1925
bronze, casting
368 x 258 mm
MG-2892-768

Frane Cota was a sculptor and architect who graduated from the Academy in Vienna in 1924 and later completed his architectural studies in Zagreb in 1929. He spent brief periods in Prague, Paris, and Italy. From 1934 to 1950, he taught architectural drawing at the Faculty of Engineering in Zagreb, and from 1941, he also served as a drawing professor at the Higher Pedagogical School in Zagreb.
Cota was a prominent figure in Croatian modern art. Although he primarily identified as a sculptor, he was equally successful as an architect, approaching space with a functionalist mindset and a sculptor’s sensitivity to volume. In his early sculptural work, he was influenced by the Viennese Secession and by Ivan Meštrović, but soon evolved toward a modernist form of realism. His body of work includes portraits, nudes, figures, and reliefs. He also created medals and plaques, among which the King Tomislav plaque from 1925 stands out, made to commemorate the 1000th anniversary of the Croatian Kingdom.
The shallow relief of this plaque features an idealized depiction of the legendary Croatian King Tomislav. Seated on a throne and turned to the left, the king is portrayed wearing a crown and a mantle draped over his shoulders. He holds a sceptre in his right hand and a royal orb in his left, resting on the upper edge of a shield bearing the Croatian coat of arms. The plaque has raised edges, and along the wider lower edge the years 925 – 1925 are inscribed.

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

Kosta Angeli Radovani, Woman with Sharp Knees, 1967

Kosta Angeli Radovani
(1916 – 2002)
Woman with Sharp Knees, 1967
casting, bronze
49.5 x 14.5 x 22 cm
MG-2741

Consistently fascinated by the human form, Radovani predominantly created small-format sculptures, producing a series of female nudes that range from delicate, youthful, and erotic figures to mature, voluminous, and asymmetrical bodies. From the 1960s onward, his smaller female nudes prominently feature cubist elements, focusing on tectonic and constructive aspects, as exemplified in the sculpture Women with Sharp Knees. He departed from classical ideals of harmony and perfect beauty, embracing expressive anatomical distortions to achieve emotional impact.
Kosta Angeli Radovani was a distinguished sculptor, graphic artist, and art educator. He studied sculpture at the Accademia di Belle Arti di Brera in Milan from 1934 to 1938 under the mentorship of Francesco Messina. Upon returning to Zagreb in 1939, he attended art history lectures at the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences and pursued specialized courses in sculpture under Frano Kršinić and graphics under Tomislav Krizman at the Academy of Fine Arts from 1941 to 1943. In 1949, Radovani founded the Department of Sculpture at the Academy of Applied Arts in Zagreb, where he worked as an associate professor until 1954. From 1977 until his retirement in 1987, he was a regular professor in the Department of Sculpture at the Faculty of Fine Arts in Sarajevo. Additionally, he led sculpture modeling classes as a guest professor at the International Summer Academy in Salzburg in 1987, 1988, and 1991. He actively contributed to the popularization of modern art and co-founded the Forum Gallery in Zagreb in 1969. Throughout his career, Radovani participated in numerous solo and group exhibitions both in Croatia and internationally, including the Venice Biennale in 1950. He received numerous awards, among which stands out the Vladimir Nazor Award for Lifetime Achievement in 1987.

Tekst: Lorena Šimić, kustosica Nacionalnog muzeja moderne umjetnosti © Nacionalni muzej moderne umjetnosti, Zagreb
Foto: Goran Vranić © Nacionalni muzej moderne umjetnosti, Zagreb

Ljubo Babić, Portrait of Mrs Vrbanić, 1915

Ljubo Babić
Portrait of Mrs Vrbanić, 1915
oil on canvas, 58.5 x 50.8 cm
MG-2273

Painter and art historian Ljubo Babić (1890–1974) was a highly influential figure in Croatian culture and art. He studied at the Provisional Advanced School of Arts and Crafts under Menci Clement Crnčić before continuing his education at the Academy in Munich. He also obtained a degree in art history from the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences in Zagreb. Babić worked as a professor at the Provisional Advanced School of Arts and Crafts, later known as the Academy of Fine Arts, and served as director of the Modern Gallery in Zagreb. He was also a member of the Yugoslav Academy of Sciences and Arts (JAZU).
The painting is almost entirely filled by a female figure depicted from the chest up, wearing a large, wide-brimmed hat that casts a dramatic shadow over her eyes. Her face is shown in a three-quarter profile, with her gaze slightly averted yet engaging the observer. The composition is dominated by black and grey hues, with the exception of her facial skin tones. Bold, expressive brushstrokes and the mask-like treatment of her features suggest a leaning towards Expressionism.

Text: Ivana Rončević Elezović Phd, museum consultant of the National Museum of Modern Art © National Museum of Modern Art, Zagreb
Zagreb
Translated by: Robertina Tomić
Photo: Goran Vranić © National Museum of Modern Art, Zagreb

Željko Badurina, Seve – Red, 2002

Željko Badurina
Seve – Red, 2002
inkjet print on canvas
100 x 100 cm
MG-6844

In his work, Željko Badurina (1966) often problematizes contemporary visual culture and social life phenomena, such as mass media, consumer society, and kitsch manifestations at different social levels. His work is characterized by humor, irony, absurdity, and Luddism, as well as reinterpretation, simulation, montage procedures, and the frequent use of ready-made and pop art. In the pop artist series of portraits, he uses enlarged photos of famous people, which are conceptually based on the works of Andy Warhol. The images are enlarged to a format of 100 x 100 cm, whereby each person gets their characteristic color. The artist thus humorously translates Warhol's process of duplicating the same motif into a domestic situation, reflecting the socio-cultural context in which we live.
"Seve - Red" is a portrait of Severina, one of the most famous singers in Croatia. The work is made with inkjet printed on canvas, using bright colors and high contrast to emphasize the iconographic status of the subject. Alluding to Warhol's portraits of Marilyn Monroe, it shows her against a red background with signature red lipstick and green eyeshadow. By presenting Severina as a pop-culture icon, it indicates the transience and superficiality of such fame, therefore this portrait should be viewed as a comment on the phenomenon of celebrity culture and its influence on society.
At the same time, and in today's context, the portrayal of Severina as a celebrity figure who actively participates in social changes opens up questions about the role and responsibility of public figures in society. Known for her support of social and political issues, including women's rights and the LGBTIQA+ community, Severina uses her popularity to draw attention to critical social problems.

Text: Marta Radman, curator of the National Museum of Modern Art © National Museum of Modern Art, Zagreb
Translated by: Marta Radman
Photo: Goran Vranić © National Museum of Modern Art, Zagreb

Ksenija Kantoci, Chimney (Moirae), 1980. – 1984.

Ksenija Kantoci
Chimney (Moirae), 1980. - 1984.
wood
18 x 17 x 13.5 cm
MG-5950

Ksenija Kantoci (1909 – 1995), one of the most prominent Croatian sculptors of the 20th century, her work "Chimney (Moirae)" is an abstract sculpture of smaller dimensions, made of wood, as an archetypal monolithic figure. The work exemplifies the author's intention to reduce mass and form and compress volume to express existential and psychological themes, a characteristic that has become recognizable within her oeuvre. "Chimney (Moirae)" is an example of this because, through the simplicity of the form, they suggest complex stories about fate, the passage of time, and human existence.
Moirae (Suđenice) are mythological beings in Slavic mythology who are in charge of people's destinies. They are often depicted as figures who determine destinies by weaving the thread of life, which puts them in a position outside the human world but with a direct influence on it. Kantoci explores this liminal position through this sculpture. The subjects are simultaneously part of the world and outside it; they belong to the past and mythology but are always present through their function and symbolism.
At the same time, Kantoci uses wood as a material that carries with it the impression of warmth, naturalness, and connection with nature, as well as hardness, durability, and resistance.The sculpture exudes monumentality despite its small dimensions through its simple stylization and almost archaic form. This work reflects the artist's tendency to create solid and fluid figures rooted in the material but with symbolic power transcending physical presence.

Text: Marta Radman, curator 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