Did you know that sixty-six years ago, on January 16, 1962, in South Bend, Indiana, USA, Ivan Meštrović, the greatest Croatian sculptor genius, left us forever? Born in Vrpolje near Đakovo in 1883, this future artist spent his childhood in the Dalmatian hinterland. And this is where the story of our new collaboration with the Ivan Meštrović Museums begins…

With the start of the new year, the time has come for another inspiring and challenging project. Exactly on January 16, on the anniversary of Meštrović’s death, in cooperation with partners Priredba d.o.o. and Studio Šesnić & Turković we visited the Dalmatian hinterland and remembered Meštrović’s life and work. We set foot in the places where he grew up and lived, that is, from where he went to follow his art muses.

The tour of the terrain where the implementation of a unique cultural project is planned soon began in the village of Otavice in the Dalmatian hinterland, known on the map of Croatia by Ivan Meštrović, and then ended in Split. In a whole day of socializing with the hosts and associates, we met Meštrović’s Crikvina Kaštilac and visited the Meštrović Gallery – the former Split address of the artist’s family. We were delighted and truly inspired by the extraordinary professional leadership of senior curator Zorana Jurić Šabić and the entire team led by director Sandra Grčić Budimir.

After this first visit, we can say with pleasure that the re-experience of the work of this true artistic genius has become a strong impetus for further work. We want to contribute to our joint – creative and professional – forces to spread the perception and reception of Meštrović and his work in Croatia and the world. In this endeavor, in the continuation of the visit, we held the first mapping workshop with which it begins
the process of developing a communication strategy, branding and positioning of the Ivan Meštrović Museum in Croatia and around the world.

The next step is to visit the Atelier Meštrović in Zagreb, where we plan to hold another workshop soon!

‍Photos
Iva Klarić, Muses Ltd.