Ana Vidjen
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Ana Vidjen (born 24 October 1931) is a Yugoslav, Croatian and Serbian sculptor. She obtained her MA in sculpture in 1962 at
Athens School of Fine Arts The Athens School of Fine Arts (ASFA; , ΑΣΚΤ) is a Greek higher education institution, specializing in the visual arts. History The Athens School of Fine Arts was established on 12 January 1837, known as the ''School for the Arts''. In the ...
, and was encouraged in her chosen field by the Greek
feminist Feminism is a range of socio-political movements and ideology, ideologies that aim to define and establish the political, economic, personal, and social gender equality, equality of the sexes. Feminism holds the position that modern soci ...
poet and writer Eleni Vakalo as well as the painter Milo Milunovic, who founded the Academy of Fine Arts in 1937 (now part of
University of Arts in Belgrade The University of Arts in Belgrade ( sr-cyr, Универзитет уметности у Београду, Univerzitet umetnosti u Beogradu) is a public university in Serbia. It was founded in 1957 as the Academy of Arts to unite four academies. ...
). Her work includes sculptures in stone, wood and
bronze Bronze is an alloy consisting primarily of copper, commonly with about 12–12.5% tin and often with the addition of other metals (including aluminium, manganese, nickel, or zinc) and sometimes non-metals (such as phosphorus) or metalloid ...
(both gallery and monumental size), drawings, paintings and
ceramics A ceramic is any of the various hard, brittle, heat-resistant, and corrosion-resistant materials made by shaping and then firing an inorganic, nonmetallic material, such as clay, at a high temperature. Common examples are earthenware, porce ...
. She and her husband, Nikola Milunovic, realised a large-scale monument for the victims of
Nazi Nazism (), formally named National Socialism (NS; , ), is the far-right politics, far-right Totalitarianism, totalitarian socio-political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in Germany. During H ...
terror at
Banjica concentration camp The Banjica concentration camp (, sr-Cyrl-Latn, Бањички логор, Banjički logor) was a Nazi German concentration camp in the Territory of the Military Commander in Serbia, the military administration of the Third Reich established af ...
in Belgrade, Serbia. Their son is the painter
Mihael Milunović Mihael Milunović (born July 2, 1967) is a Serbian and French painter. His work encompasses a wide range of artistic disciplines, from painting, drawing and photography through large-scale sculptures, installations, to sound, video and objec ...
.


Early life and education

Vidjen was born in
Pločice Pločice is a village in Croatia, in Konavle municipality. It is connected by the D516 (Croatia), D516 state street. Demographics According to the 2021 census, its population was 68. References

Populated places in Dubrovnik-Neretva Coun ...
, a small town in
Konavli Konavle () is a municipality and a small Dalmatian subregion located southeast of Dubrovnik, Croatia. The region is administratively part of the Dubrovnik-Neretva County and the center of the municipality is Cavtat. Demographics The total muni ...
Dubrovnik Dubrovnik, historically known as Ragusa, is a city in southern Dalmatia, Croatia, by the Adriatic Sea. It is one of the most prominent tourist destinations in the Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean, a Port, seaport and the centre of the Dubrovni ...
countryside In general, a rural area or a countryside is a geographic area that is located outside towns and cities. Typical rural areas have a low population density and small settlements. Agricultural areas and areas with forestry are typically describ ...
in Croatia then
Kingdom of Yugoslavia The Kingdom of Yugoslavia was a country in Southeast Europe, Southeast and Central Europe that existed from 1918 until 1941. From 1918 to 1929, it was officially called the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes, but the term "Yugoslavia" () h ...
, to Ivan Vidjen and Ana Kovačević. Her father was a supervisor on tracing and laying down the south-east railways of
Austria-Hungary Austria-Hungary, also referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Dual Monarchy or the Habsburg Monarchy, was a multi-national constitutional monarchy in Central Europe#Before World War I, Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. A military ...
, prior to
World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
. When Ana, the youngest child, was born, her father was a railway
station master The station master (or stationmaster) is the person in charge of a Train station, railway station, particularly in the United Kingdom and many other countries outside North America. In the United Kingdom, where the term originated, it is now lar ...
of
Pločice Pločice is a village in Croatia, in Konavle municipality. It is connected by the D516 (Croatia), D516 state street. Demographics According to the 2021 census, its population was 68. References

Populated places in Dubrovnik-Neretva Coun ...
train station, and her mother was a
housewife A housewife (also known as a homemaker or a stay-at-home mother/mom/mum) is a woman whose role is running or managing her family's home—housekeeping, which may include Parenting, caring for her children; cleaning and maintaining the home; Sew ...
and artist. She grew up in
Cavtat Cavtat (, ) is a village in the Dubrovnik-Neretva County of Croatia. It is on the Adriatic Sea coast south of Dubrovnik and is the centre and the main settlement of Konavle municipality. History Antiquity The original city was founded by the ...
together with her sister and her two brothers. She spent most of her childhood time playing in woods, and in the nature, collecting shells and stones. After the liberation post-World War II, her family encouraged her to apply to the famous Art High School – Umjetnička Škola in
Herceg Novi Herceg Novi (Cyrillic script, Cyrillic: Херцег Нови, ) is a town in Coastal Montenegro, Coastal region of Montenegro located at the Western entrance to the Bay of Kotor and at the foot of Mount Orjen. It is the administrative center of ...
,
Montenegro , image_flag = Flag of Montenegro.svg , image_coat = Coat of arms of Montenegro.svg , coa_size = 80 , national_motto = , national_anthem = () , image_map = Europe-Mont ...
at age 15. After completing her studies in the sculpture class of professors Vojislav
Vojo Stanić Vojislav "Vojo" Stanić (Montenegrin Cyrillic: ; 3 February 1924 – 19 November 2024) was a Montenegrin painter and sculptor. Biography Vojo Stanić was born in Podgorica, and grew up in Nikšić. He completed ''Academy of Sculpture'' in Belgra ...
and prof. Poček, she enrolled in 1954 at the Academy of Fine Arts (today
University of Arts in Belgrade The University of Arts in Belgrade ( sr-cyr, Универзитет уметности у Београду, Univerzitet umetnosti u Beogradu) is a public university in Serbia. It was founded in 1957 as the Academy of Arts to unite four academies. ...
) and moved to Belgrade. She received a Bachelor of Arts and Master of Arts in
Fine Arts In European academic traditions, fine art (or, fine arts) is made primarily for aesthetics or creativity, creative expression, distinguishing it from popular art, decorative art or applied art, which also either serve some practical function ...
from the institution in 1961.


Period 1962–1974

After graduating, Vidjen received a Yugoslav State Scholarship to pursue her MA studies in
Athens Athens ( ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Greece, largest city of Greece. A significant coastal urban area in the Mediterranean, Athens is also the capital of the Attica (region), Attica region and is the southe ...
, Greece, on Academy of Fine Arts in class of professors Michael Tombros and
George Zongolopoulos George Zongolopoulos (Greek language, Greek: ''Γιώργος Ζογγολόπουλος'' (1 March 1903, Athens – 11 May 2004, Athens)) was a Greeks, Greek Sculpture, sculptor, painter and architect. Zongolopoulos, who was often called the '' ...
. She was fascinated with
Cycladic art The ancient Cycladic culture flourished in the islands of the Aegean Sea from c. 3300 to 1100 BCE. Along with the Minoan civilization and Mycenaean Greece, the Cycladic people are counted among the three major Aegean cultures. Cycladic art there ...
sculptures and
Archaic Greek Ancient Greek (, ; ) includes the forms of the Greek language used in ancient Greece and the ancient world from around 1500 BC to 300 BC. It is often roughly divided into the following periods: Mycenaean Greek (), Dark Ages (), the Archai ...
forms, and in the artistic and intellectual circles of Athens of that time she met many artists, writers, and composers. One of her closest friends was the famous feminist art critic, poet and writer Eleni Vakalo. Vakalo wrote several major texts about Vidjen's work and published articles in "
Ta Nea ''Ta Nea'' (; Translation: ''The News'') is a daily newspaper published in Athens. It was owned by Lambrakis Press Group (DOL), which also published the newspaper ''To Vima''. The assets of DOL were acquired in 2017 by Alter Ego Media S.A. The ...
" newspaper. The Ambassador of Yugoslavia to Greece,
Peko Dapčević Peko Dapčević (Serbo-Croatian Cyrillic: Пеко Дапчевић; 25 June 1913 – 10 February 1999) was a Yugoslav communist who fought as a volunteer in the Spanish Civil War, joined the Partisan uprising in Montenegro, and became com ...
, was fond of Vidjen's art and introduced her to people in Athenian high society circles. On her return to Yugoslavia she married Nikola Milunović, sculptor, son of prominent Yugoslav painter
Milo Milunović Milo Milunović (Cyrillic: Мило Милуновић; Born 6 August 1897 – 11 February 1967) was a Montenegrin painter. He dabbled in both Impressionism and Cubism. Biography Milunović was born in Cetinje, Montenegro, but was educated in S ...
, founder of
University of Arts in Belgrade The University of Arts in Belgrade ( sr-cyr, Универзитет уметности у Београду, Univerzitet umetnosti u Beogradu) is a public university in Serbia. It was founded in 1957 as the Academy of Arts to unite four academies. ...
in 1937 under the regency of
Prince Paul of Yugoslavia Prince Paul of Yugoslavia, also known as Paul Karađorđević (, English transliteration: ''Paul Karageorgevich''; 27 April 1893 – 14 September 1976), was prince regent of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia during the minority of King Peter II. Paul w ...
. The couple settled in the Belgrade neighbourhood of
Dedinje Dedinje ( sr-cyrl, Дедиње, ) is an urban neighborhood of Belgrade, the capital of Serbia. It is located in Belgrade's municipality of Savski Venac. Dedinje is generally considered the wealthiest part of Belgrade, and is the site of numero ...
in Milunović family villa in Tolstojeva street Nr.9. They started working together on many projects, as well as the realisation of large-scale mosaic projects of her father-in-law, Milo Milunovic. In 1963, Vidjen was invited to attend the reception given by the British Ambassador to Yugoslavia on the occasion of the first official visit of
Queen Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 19268 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II, her death in 2022. ...
and
Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh (born Prince Philip of Greece and Denmark, later Philip Mountbatten; 10 June 19219 April 2021), was the husband of Queen Elizabeth II. As such, he was the consort of the British monarch from h ...
to
Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia The Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (commonly abbreviated as SFRY or SFR Yugoslavia), known from 1945 to 1963 as the Federal People's Republic of Yugoslavia, commonly referred to as Socialist Yugoslavia or simply Yugoslavia, was a country ...
, which was also attended by the president
Josip Broz Tito Josip Broz ( sh-Cyrl, Јосип Броз, ; 7 May 1892 – 4 May 1980), commonly known as Tito ( ; , ), was a Yugoslavia, Yugoslav communist revolutionary and politician who served in various positions of national leadership from 1943 unti ...
and his wife
Jovanka Broz Jovanka Broz (; sr-Cyrl, Јованка Броз, Будисављевић; 7 December 1924 – 20 October 2013) was the First Lady of Yugoslavia from 1952 until 1980 as the wife of Yugoslav president Josip Broz Tito. She was a lieutenant c ...
. After meeting the royal couple, one of her sculptures was commissioned for the contemporary art section of
Royal Collection The Royal Collection of the British royal family is the largest private art collection in the world. Spread among 13 occupied and historic List of British royal residences, royal residences in the United Kingdom, the collection is owned by King ...
in
Buckingham Palace Buckingham Palace () is a royal official residence, residence in London, and the administrative headquarters of the monarch of the United Kingdom. Located in the City of Westminster, the palace is often at the centre of state occasions and r ...
, London. In 1966 she exhibited new drawings in the show "Fantastica" in Brussels. An informal artistic movement, Medijala, arose in Yugoslav artistic circles in the late 1950s and early 1960s, and Vidjen embraced the movement for her figurative works, both drawings and sculptures. In 1967, she appeared in the International Sculpture Exhibition in den Hague and was selected for the exhibition "Four Yugoslav Sculptors" in Galerie D'Ent in Amsterdam. That year, she also realised the marble sculpture "Dry Age," which is on permanent display in the sculpture park in Arandjelovac, Serbia. Other sculptures from this period include the monumental-size "Shell," as well as the Monument to Victims of
Banjica Concentration Camp The Banjica concentration camp (, sr-Cyrl-Latn, Бањички логор, Banjički logor) was a Nazi German concentration camp in the Territory of the Military Commander in Serbia, the military administration of the Third Reich established af ...
in Belgrade in 1969.


Period 1974–2019

Her "Flourishing Form", realised in 1975, was purchased for the collection of
Museum of Contemporary Art, Belgrade The Museum of Contemporary Art () is an art museum located in Belgrade, Serbia. It was founded in 1958 as the Modern Gallery, making if one the first museums of this type in the world. It was moved into the current building in the Ušće neighbor ...
. "The Fruit" (1980), realised in marble, is now part of the sculpture park in Danilovgrad, Montenegro. During this period, Vidjen won several major national art prizes, such as the Union of Fine Artists of Serbia prize in 1974, the Winter Salon prize in 1983 in
Herceg Novi Herceg Novi (Cyrillic script, Cyrillic: Херцег Нови, ) is a town in Coastal Montenegro, Coastal region of Montenegro located at the Western entrance to the Bay of Kotor and at the foot of Mount Orjen. It is the administrative center of ...
, and 1st prize for the Monument of
Petar I Petrović-Njegoš Petar I Petrović-Njegoš (; 1748 – 31 October 1830) was the Prince-Bishop of Montenegro from 1784 to 1830 and Exarch (legate) of the Serbian Orthodox Church in Montenegro. He was the most popular spiritual and military leader from the Petro ...
. She later realised a three-dimensional, monumental portrait of this XVIII century ruler of Montenegro. This sculpture is located in
Danilovgrad Danilovgrad (Cyrillic: Даниловград) is a town in central Montenegro. It has a population of 6,852, according to the 2011 census. It is situated in the Danilovgrad Municipality which lies along the main route between Montenegro's two la ...
in Montenegro. Vidjen participated several times in
Prilep Prilep ( ) is the List of cities in North Macedonia, fourth-largest city in North Macedonia. According to 2021 census, it had a population of 63,308. Name The name of Prilep appeared first as ''Πρίλαπος'' in Greek (''Prilapos'') in 1 ...
Marble Sculpture Symposium, where she left a number of monumental-sized sculptures in the sculpture park. Twice, she won the Grand Prix of Biennial of Miniature Art in
Gornji Milanovac Gornji Milanovac ( sr-Cyrl, Гoрњи Милановац, ) is a town and municipality located in the Moravica District of central Serbia. The population of the town is 23,109, while the population of the municipality is 38,985 (2022 census data). ...
, as well as Production Prize at the 1992 October Salon in Belgrade. She also attended the International Symposium TERRA in
Kikinda Kikinda ( sr-Cyrl, Кикинда, ; ) is a List of cities in Serbia, city and the administrative center of the North Banat District in Serbia. The city's urban area has 32,084 inhabitants, while the city administrative area has 49,326 inhabit ...
several times, where she produced a large number of large scale-sculptures in terracota, some of which are now part of the Symposium's permanent collection. One of her last bigger solo exhibitions took place in the ULUS (Union of Fine Artists of Serbia) Gallery in Belgrade in 2005, where large terracota sculptures were shown along with large drawings. She lives and works in
Belgrade Belgrade is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Serbia, largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers and at the crossroads of the Pannonian Basin, Pannonian Plain and the Balkan Peninsula. T ...
, Serbia.


Solo exhibitions

* 1962 Athens, Greece * 1965 Belgrade, Serbia * 1967 Amsterdam and Den Hague * 1972 Belgrade, Serbia * 1982 Podgorica, Montenegro * 1987 Dubrovnik, Croatia * 1990 Paris, France * 2003 Kikinda, Serbia * 2005 Galerija Ulus, Belgrade, Serbia


Prizes

* 1st Prize Young Creatives of Montenegro 1953 * Special Prize of Biennale of Yugoslav Sculpture 1973 * ULUS prize on Spring Exhibition of Union of Serbian Artists, Belgrade 1974 * 1st Prize of Winter Salon, Herceg Novi, 1983 * 1st Prize for Petar I Petrović Monument, Danilovgrad 1983 * 1st Prize for Open Air Sculpture «Prostor» 1984 * 1st Prize on International Biennale of Miniature Art, Gornji Milanovac 1990 and 1992 * Production Prize, October Salon, Belgrade, 1992


Plein Air Sculptures

* Sculpture Park, Aranđelovac, Serbia * Sculpture in park of EI Factory, Belgrade * Sculpture Park, Vrnjačka Banja, Serbia * Sculpture Park, Prilep, Macedonia * Sculpture Park, Danilovgrad, Montenegro * Monument of Petar I Petrovic, Danilovgrad, Montenegro * Sculpture Park Terra, Kikinda, Serbia


Collections

*
Museum of Contemporary Art, Belgrade The Museum of Contemporary Art () is an art museum located in Belgrade, Serbia. It was founded in 1958 as the Modern Gallery, making if one the first museums of this type in the world. It was moved into the current building in the Ušće neighbor ...
* Contemporary Art Museum of Macedonia, Skopje *
National Museum of Montenegro The National Museum of Montenegro () is the largest museum in Montenegro. The museum was established in 1896 and is located in Cetinje, Montenegro. Departments The museum is divided into five departments: *Historical Museum of Montenegro *Ethnog ...
, Cetinje *
Museum of Yugoslavia The Museum of Yugoslavia () is a public history museum in Belgrade, the capital of Serbia. It chronicles the period of Kingdom of Yugoslavia and Socialist Yugoslavia as well as the life of Josip Broz Tito. Tito's grave is located in one of the muse ...
formerly Museum of Revolution, Belgrade *Ministry of Culture, Podgorica, Montenegro


References


Skulpture i crteži Ane Viđen – Kulturni centar


Sources

* Blic Newspaper, 19 July 200
Skulpture i crteži Ane Viđen
{{DEFAULTSORT:Vidjen, Ana 1931 births Living people 20th-century Croatian sculptors 21st-century Croatian sculptors Serbian sculptors Serbian women sculptors Yugoslav sculptors Contemporary sculptors 20th-century women sculptors 21st-century women sculptors