Antun Augustinčić
(1900 - 1979)
Portrait of Dr. Rafael Dolinšek, 1929
casting, bronze
45 x 18 x 24 cm
MG-2499
Augustinčić began studying sculpture at the College of Arts and Crafts in Zagreb in 1918 under Rudolf Valdec and Robert Frangeš. In 1922, the institution was renamed the Royal Academy of Arts and Crafts, and he continued his education under Ivan Meštrović. After graduating in 1924, he went to Paris as a French government scholarship recipient, studying at the École des Arts Décoratifs and the Académie des Beaux-Arts under J. A. Injalbert. He exhibited at the Salon of French Artists in 1925 and at the Salon des Indépendants in 1926. He was a co-founder of the socially conscious art group Zemlja (1929–1935) and became a professor at the Academy of Fine Arts in Zagreb in 1946.
He participated in numerous international public competitions and earned a reputation as a master of public monuments. His concept of realism blends elements of Meštrović’s monumentalism with Kršinić’s lyrical approach. His renowned portraits place him among the foremost exponents of Croatian psychological portrait sculpture.
The portrait of Dr. Rafael Dolinšek is sculpted as a shallow bust, with the head subtly turned to the right and part of the neck resting directly on the stone base. The full, oval volume features a high forehead, thin compressed lips, and hair slicked back towards the nape. Realistically rendered facial features are synthesised into a refined expression, representing Dr. Dolinšek, a distinguished physician and major art collector, whose collection of works by his contemporaries can be found at the NMMA.
Text: Tatijana Gareljić, museum consultant 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