The Museum of Naive Art is a fine arts museum in Zagreb, dedicated to the work of 20th century primitivist artists. The museum collection consists of more than 1,850 works of art, including paintings, drawings, sculptures, and prints, mostly made in Croatian style. and prints, mostly made by Croatians, but there are also works by other internationally recognised artists of this genre. renowned international artists of the genre.
In 1952, the Peasant Art Gallery was founded in Zagreb. В 1956 it was known as the Gallery of Primitive Art and was part of the Municipal Gallery (now the Gallery of Modern Art). Since 1994, in accordance with a decision of the Croatian Parliament. in accordance with a decision of the Croatian Parliament, the museum has been called the Croatian Museum of Naive Art. From the very beginning, the museum has operated according to strict museological principles and is considered the first Naive Art Museum in the world. С 2002, the museum has focused on reaching out to schools and students and intensifying the education each year before International Museum Day.
Naive, or primitive, primitive art is an independent segment of 20th-century art. Naive art appeared in Croatia in the early 1930s. Naive art was originally associated with the works of peasants and labourers, of whom the most successful eventually became professional artists. artists. Naive art includes the work of artists who are in one way or another self-taught, without specialised training, but who have achieved a high level of art. A recognisable individual style and poetic nature distinguishes primitive artists from "amateurs". The gaze of a primitivist artist usually betrays unusual proportions and certain illogical shapes and spaces. In this way, artists express their free creative imagination by analogy with other art movements of the 20th century art movements such as symbolism, expressionism, cubism and surrealism.
In Croatia, naive art is also seen as a democratic movement that proves that regardless of formal training, anyone can create a real work of art. Common themes of the works include. such as "joy of life", "lost childhood", "interesting things in the world", etc.
The collection presented by the museum emphasises Croatian artists of the of the famous Hlebinska school, as well as some independent artists. В The collection features works dating back to 1930. The famous Ivan Generalić was one of the first naive artists in Croatia, who developed a distinctive creative style and reached a high professional level in his art. art. The works of the 1930s are dominated by social issues, while the later works depict idealistic landscapes that give the imagination more spaciousness than depictions of simply open space. The works of the of the second generation of the Chlebe School of artists (50s-60s) include figures of the burlesque and grotesque, as well as works inspired by biblical themes with a strong use of colours.
The museum also organises special thematic exhibitions focusing on individual artists or to highlight certain aspects of naïve art.
The Gallery of Modern Art exhibits the most comprehensive collection of paintings, sculptures and drawings from the 19th and 20th centuries by Croatian artists. The collection has about 10,000 works of art, which have been housed since 1934 in the historic Palace of Vrana. historic Vranyčana Palace in the centre of Zagreb.
The Gallery of Modern Art, and originally the national gallery for Croatian Art, dates back to early 1900, when it was founded by an art Art Society from paintings and sculptures acquired by its members, as well as donations from Bishop Strossmayer. In 1905, 3 works were purchased for the foundation of the future Gallery of Modern Art. of modern art. The collection grew gradually and until 1914 was presented only to interested parties. As the collection expanded, in 1934 the gallery moved to the present building. The Vranycany Palace was built in 1882. 1882. The splendid receptions of the past were replaced by the contemplative atmosphere of the Gallery of Modern Art.
The complete reconstruction of the palace took place between 1993 and 2005, when the current exhibition was presented to the public. Two floors of the palace became a modern equipped gallery, presenting visitors with a permanent collection of of Croatian contemporary painting and sculpture. In fully restored historical rooms, the gallery presents "200 years of Croatian fine art (1800)". Fine Arts (1800-2000)", a representative selection of 650-700 of the best painters, sculptors and medal makers. The Gallery of Contemporary Art has become the best known and most comprehensive museum of Croatian contemporary art. Since 1960, it has hosted retrospective and monographic exhibitions of of works by renowned Croatian artists, as well as thematic exhibitions of Croatian Croatian and European contemporary art.
In addition to the permanent exhibition, the Gallery of Contemporary Art holds special exhibitions. In 2009, the multi-sensory Tactile Gallery, which aims to help visually impaired visitors experience the the main features of Croatian contemporary art through touch and sound.
In 2010, a new multimedia exhibition was inaugurated, entitled. "Iconography of cities in Croatian art from the first half of the 20th century". The viewer is presented with the motif of the city in drawing, painting, graphics, artistic photography: posters and films, literature and music. The exposition includes more than 150 works.
