Since its establishment in 1975, the Josip Račić Gallery in Zagreb has been an indispensable destination for artists and art enthusiasts. This small city gallery has been operating within the National Museum of Modern Art (formerly the Modern Gallery) since 1992, and next year it will celebrate five decades of its existence. As an introduction to this significant jubilee, the National Museum of Modern Art is organising the exhibition In Anticipation of the Fiftieth Anniversary from 9 May to 2 June 2024, at its well-known address at Margaretska 3.
Conceived as a historical overview of exhibition practices at the Gallery over the past fifty years, the exhibition conceived by art historian and NMMA curator, Tihana Galić, will provide visitors, through the selected works – largely drawn from the Museum collection and including pieces by a few artists who exhibited during this period – with insight into a fraction of the artistic heritage of this space and evoke memories of exhibitions and artists who have shaped its identity through various artistic approaches and thematic focuses. The selection of works is significantly constrained by the size of the exhibition space but nonetheless represents a substantial segment of its rich exhibition history.
The artists represented in the exhibition are: Zlatko Kauzlarić Atač, Vlado Jakelić, Jadranka Fatur, Marijana Muljević, Ivo Deković, Nicolas Roerich, Đuro Seder, and Stipan Tadić.
In addition to the exhibited artworks, visitors will have the opportunity to see some archival copies of accompanying publications from numerous exhibitions as well as documentary film "Jadranka Fatur, Paintings" by Hrvoje Juvančić, filmed in 1987 at the Josip Račić Gallery.
The exhibition is accompanied by a bilingual catalogue in Croatian and English, designed by Ana Zubić and featuring an essay by the exhibition curator.
Translated by: Robertina Tomić
Images: Vlado Jakelić, Shoe Cleaners, 1977/ oil on canvas / 100 x 130 cm / MG-3932, National Museum of Modern Art, Zagreb
Marijana Muljević, Marijana Muljević / Blades, 1991 / oil on canvas, 110 x 90 cm / MG-7003, National Museum of Modern Art, Zagreb
Jadranka Fatur, Sister in Front of an Unfinished Painting, 1986. – 87 / oil on canvas , 150 x 120 cm / Artist’s private collection
Zlatko Kauzlarić Atač, Always on the Move, 1974 / oil on canvas, 110 x 130 cm / Artist’s private collection
- From the exhibition set up at the Josip Račić Gallery
Photo: Goran Vranić © National Museum of Modern Art, Zagreb