Risto Stijović ( sr-cyr, Ристо Стијовић; 8 October 1894 – 20 December 1974) was a

Serbian Serbian may refer to: * Pertaining to Serbia in Southeast Europe; in particular **Serbs, a South Slavic ethnic group native to the Balkans ** Serbian language ** Serbian culture **Demographics of Serbia, includes other ethnic groups within the co ...

sculptor, considered to be one of the most original artists of his time.

Biography

He was born in centre of Montenegrin capital

Podgorica Podgorica ( cnr-Cyrl, Подгорица; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Montenegro, largest city of Montenegro. The city is just north of Lake Skadar and close to coastal destinations on the Adriatic Sea. Histor ...

. In 1912 he enrolled in Serbian school of fine arts in the class of Đorđe Jovanović. Stijović described himself as an ethnic

Serb The Serbs ( sr-Cyr, Срби, Srbi, ) are a South Slavic ethnic group native to Southeastern Europe who share a common Serbian ancestry, culture, history, and language. They primarily live in Serbia, Kosovo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia ...

. After the war broke out he joined the Serbian Army and retreated across Albania to

Corfu Corfu ( , ) or Kerkyra (, ) is a Greece, Greek island in the Ionian Sea, of the Ionian Islands; including its Greek islands, small satellite islands, it forms the margin of Greece's northwestern frontier. The island is part of the Corfu (regio ...

. In 1916 he moved to

Marseille Marseille (; ; see #Name, below) is a city in southern France, the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Departments of France, department of Bouches-du-Rhône and of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Regions of France, region. Situated in the ...

, furthering his education at Marseille art school on French government scholarship, and then on to

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

the following year, where he continued at

École des Beaux-Arts ; ) refers to a number of influential art schools in France. The term is associated with the Beaux-Arts architecture, Beaux-Arts style in architecture and city planning that thrived in France and other countries during the late nineteenth centu ...

. He lived for years in

, where he met his wife, Jeanette, whom he married in 1922. Considered one of the most talented sculptors of the early 1920s, he exhibited together with

Picasso Pablo Diego José Francisco de Paula Juan Nepomuceno María de los Remedios Cipriano de la Santísima Trinidad Ruiz y Picasso (25 October 1881 – 8 April 1973) was a Spanish painter, sculptor, printmaker, Ceramic art, ceramicist, and Scenic ...

Matisse Henri Émile Benoît Matisse (; 31 December 1869 – 3 November 1954) was a French visual arts, visual artist, known for both his use of colour and his fluid and original draughtsmanship. He was a drawing, draughtsman, printmaking, printmaker, ...

Pompon A pom-pom – also spelled pom-pon, pompom or pompon – is a decorative ball or tuft of fibrous material. The term may refer to large tufts used by cheerleaders, or a small, tighter ball attached to the top of a hat, also known as ...

and Maillol. In 1928 he moved back to

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 ...

where he became professor at Third Male Gymnasium. In 1941 he was arrested and imprisoned in

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 ...

, where he spent the rest of WW2. After the war he continued his life in Belgrade, becoming a member of SASA in 1965. He died in Belgrade in 1974. He was buried in the Čepurci cemetery of

. Stijović's work was inspired by Yugoslav nature and culture. He is considered to be the most important sculptor from Montenegro and he is considered to be a master of sculpturing animal figures.

Gallery

Risto-Stijovic-Akt-Umetnicka-zbirka-Narodnog-muzeja-Kraljevo-U-205.jpg, Nude, National Museum Kraljevo Stevan Mokranjac 1.JPG, Bust of

Stevan Mokranjac Stevan Stojanović ( sr-Cyrl, Стеван Стојановић, ; 9 January 1856 – 28 September 1914), known as Stevan Mokranjac ( sr-Cyrl, Стеван Мокрањац, ) was a Serbian composer and music educator. Born in Negotin in 18 ...

Kalemegdan The Kalemegdan Park (), or simply Kalemegdan ( sr-Cyrl, Калемегдан) is the largest park and the most important historical monument in Belgrade. It is located on a cliff, at the junction of the River Sava and the Danube. Kalemegdan Pa ...

Risto Stijović - Karijatida (1931).jpg, Caryatid, Pavle Beljanski Memorial Collection, 1931 Risto Stijović - Devojčica (1936).jpg, Little Girl, Pavle Beljanski Memorial Collection, 1936 Risto Stijović, The Eagle, Granite, 1936, National Museum of Serbia.jpg, Little Eagle, 1936 Risto Stijović, The Owl, Granite, 1936, National Museum of Serbia.jpg, Owl, 1936

References

External links

Montenegrin Art/Sculpture
Yugoslav artists Yugoslav sculptors Montenegrin sculptors Artists from Podgorica 1894 births 1974 deaths 20th-century sculptors {{Montenegro-sculptor-stub