21 incredible paintings from the new Vladimir Becić exhibition

An extensive new exhibition of work by Croatian painter Vladimir Becić has opened in Zagreb's Klovićevi Dvori Gallery. One of the most significant painters of Croatian modern art, it's been 35 years since he received such a career retrospective exhibition.









Vladimir Becić was born in Slavonski Brod in 1886. After initial studies in Zagreb, he went on to study at Munich's prestigious Academy of Arts. He attended the academy at the same time as three other Croatian painters, Oskar Herman, Miroslav Kraljević and Josip Račić. They each played such a key role in 20th Century, they were often compared to each other and became collectively known as the Munich Circle or Munich Four.









After studying in Munich, Becić spent two years studying and working in Paris before returning to Zagreb in 1910. Following a period working in Osijek, Belgrade and Bitolj, he joined the army just before the start of the First World War. He worked as an artist near the frontline, resulting in a series of images of soldiers and the wounded. 









After the war, Becić changed tact, spending time in a village near Sarajevo painting landscapes and rural subjects. In 1924 he returned to Zagreb to become a professor at the Academy of Fine Arts, a position he held until 1947. From 1934 he also became a member of the Croatian Academy of Sciences and Arts.









The exhibition holds paintings from the length of Becić's career and shows his work from each of the places he lived and worked. It contains paintings from several museum collections as well as privately owned paintings plus several new discoveries, recently unearthed and never before exhibited. The exhibition runs until 10 March 2019.