Ljubljana: an Exhibition of Miniature Works on Paper by Zoran Mušič Opens

Ljubljana, 5 July

The Cankarjev Dom Gallery tonight opened its exhibition of miniature works on paper by Zoran Mušič (1909-2005). The exhibited works are from the collection of Lia and Maurizio Zaneio from Trieste and will be on display until 11 September.

The exhibition presents the unknown miniature side to Mušič's art. The guest speaker at the opening was the Minister for Culture Vasko Simoniti. He said that he had asked himself how one could approach the subject of painting and painters in a world bombarded by billions of digital images from satellites, via cables and by electronic media, and how could Ljubljana repay a Slovenian artist who had gained the highest honours in Venice and Paris. Mr Simoniti pointed out that this great artist, who the Italians recognised as one of the greats of modern painting, and for whom the French had opened an exhibition with full state honours, would have been "wiped from the face of the earth", if he had not fled Slovenia.

All the exhibited works are from the Zaneio collection, one of the largest private collections of Mušič's work, which comprises 44 oil paintings on canvas, 200 graphic works, around 100 sketches and watercolours, 11 art books and a large number of publications and catalogues on the Mušič opus. Given the larger exhibition space the exhibits that appeared in the Gorizia exhibition have been supplemented in Ljubljana by a selection of 30 large graphic works and a range of special editions of his art catalogues and other publications.

The minature works on paper cover the entire thematic scope of Mušič's work, and are presented by subject at the exhibition: Gorizia, Dachau, Venice, Stone Landscapes, Ponies and Dalmatian Themes, Umbrian, Siennese and Dolomite Landscapes, Ferries, Plant Themes, Fishing Nets and Earth, Portraits and Self-Portraits and the well-known cycle, We Are Not the Last. Zoran Mušič, who died in Venice in May this year, was one of the great artistic personalities, an independent researcher of the range of artistic expression within modern art that is marked by a special personal imprint.

Ljubljana: an Exhibition of Miniature Works on Paper by Zoran Mušič Opens

More articles from this issue:

Archive