Vilko Gecan (16 June 1894 – 25 June 1973) was a

Croatia Croatia, officially the Republic of Croatia, is a country in Central Europe, Central and Southeast Europe, on the coast of the Adriatic Sea. It borders Slovenia to the northwest, Hungary to the northeast, Serbia to the east, Bosnia and Herze ...

n painter, influential in the Zagreb modern art scene of the 1920s and 1930s. He is best known for his expressionist paintings and drawings, and for his contributions to the local avantgarde magazine ''Zenit''. He showed his work in many solo and group exhibitions in Croatia and abroad. In the Zagreb Spring Salon of the 1920s, he participated with

Milivoj Uzelac Milivoj Uzelac (1897–1977) was a painter influential in the Zagreb modern art scene of the 1920s and 30s. During the Zagreb Spring Salon of the 1920s, he participated with Vilko Gecan, Marijan Trepše and Vladimir Varlaj as the Group of Four ...

Marijan Trepše Marijan Trepše (25 March 1887 – 4 October 1964) was a Croats, Croatian painter, graphic artist and set designer, considered to be one of the key figures in Croatian art in the early part of the 20th century. In 1919 the seventh exhibition of t ...

and

Vladimir Varlaj Vladimir Varlaj (25 August 1895 – 15 August 1962) was a Croatian artist, a member of the Group of Four during the Zagreb Spring Salon of the 1920s, and a founder of the Independent Group of Artists. He was influential in the Zagreb modern art ...

, who together were known as the "Group of Four" or "The Prague Four". Trained in Prague, works of these young painters brought new expressionist ideas that went on to dominate the 1920s Croatian art scene. Vilko Gecan is considered one of the masters of early Croatian expressionism. Two retrospective exhibitions of his work were organized during Gecan’s lifetime, and a large posthumous exhibition was held in 2005 at the

Art Pavilion in Zagreb The Art pavilion in Zagreb () is an art gallery in Zagreb, Croatia. The pavilion is located on the Lenuci Horseshoe, Donji grad(Zagreb), Lower town area of the city, south of Nikola Šubić Zrinski Square, on the northern side of the King Tomislav ...

. Gecan received the

Vladimir Nazor Award The Vladimir Nazor Award () is a Croatian prize for arts and culture established in 1959, and awarded every year by the country's Ministry of Culture. Named after the writer Vladimir Nazor (1876–1949), the prize is awarded to Croatian artists ...

for Lifetime Achievement in 1967.

Biography

Vilko Gecan was born 16 June 1894 in Kuželj near

Brod na Kupi Brod na Kupi () is a village located 12 km north of Delnice, in the western part of Gorski Kotar in Croatia. A bridge connects it with Petrina in Slovenia. Its population is 207 (2011 census). History Brod na Kupi was first mentioned on 22 ...

. In 1899 he travelled with his parents to Australia, returning to Croatia again in 1902. He attended school in Karlovac, Glogovnici, Zagreb, Dubica, and from 1910 the gymnasium in Banja Luka, where he met

, with whom he developed a strong friendship that was to last throughout his life. In 1912–13, they both attended the private art school in Zagreb of

Tomislav Krizman Tomislav Krizman (1882–1955), was a Croatian Painting, painter, graphic artist, costume and set designer, teacher, author and organizer of cultural events. He painted in oil painting, oils and tempera, although he is principally remembered for ...

. In the autumn of 1913 Gecan moved to Munich, where he enrolled in the

Academy of Fine Arts, Munich The Academy of Fine Arts, Munich (, also known as Munich Academy) is one of the oldest and most significant art academies in Germany. It is located in the Maxvorstadt district of Munich, in Bavaria, Germany. In the second half of the 19th centur ...

, as well as Heymann's private painting school. At the beginning of the First World War, Gecan was drafted. At the Battle of Soči in July 1915, he was captured and spent the rest of the war in prisoner-of war camps on Sicily. In 1919, he went to Prague with Milivoj Uzelac. That same year, they exhibited at the Zagreb Spring Salon, and later as part of the Group of Four (Gecan, Trepše, Uzelac, Varlaj). In 1921 Gecan held his first solo exhibition at the Art Pavilion. In 1922 he went to Berlin, where he studied stained glass techniques, and in 1924-28 he spent time in the United States (New York, Chicago). While there, he attended exhibitions of modern art, seeing the works of Cézanne and Picasso. In 1928, he stayed for a brief time in Paris with Uzelac. By 1931, Gecan experienced the first symptoms of

Parkinson's disease Parkinson's disease (PD), or simply Parkinson's, is a neurodegenerative disease primarily of the central nervous system, affecting both motor system, motor and non-motor systems. Symptoms typically develop gradually and non-motor issues become ...

, a tremor in his right hand that would become stronger, increasingly hindering his ability to paint. In 1932, he returned to Zagreb, where he organized a solo exhibition in the Salon Ulrich. In 1935, aged 41, he enrolled in the Academy of Fine Arts, Zagreb, in order to formally earn his academic degree. In 1964, a retrospective of his work was held at the Modern Gallery in Zagreb. In 1967 he received the

for lifetime achievement. In 1972, a further retrospective of Gecan's work was held at the

Art Pavilion The Art pavilion in Zagreb () is an art gallery in Zagreb, Croatia. The pavilion is located on the Lenuci Horseshoe, Lower town area of the city, south of Nikola Šubić Zrinski Square, on the northern side of the King Tomislav Square which flank ...

. Vilko Gecan died on 25 June 1973 in Zagreb.

Legacy

In the autumn of 1919, Gecan moved to Prague, joining

Ivo Režek Ivo is a masculine given name, in use in various European languages. The name used in western European languages originates as a Normannic name recorded since the High Middle Ages, and the French name Yves is a variant of it. The unrelated So ...

and

Frano Kršinić Frano Kršinić (24 July 1897 – 1 January 1982) was a Croatian sculptor active in former Yugoslavia. Along with Ivan Meštrović and Antun Augustinčić, he is considered one of the three most important Croatian sculptors of the 20th cent ...

. Together they made the city an important reference for Croatian modern art. There, they picked up the new ideas of secessionism and expressionism, which they brought back to Croatian art. Gecan's most important works were produced in the 1920s and 1930s. By 1921 the beginnings of expressionism were evident in his paintings and drawings. Miroslav Kraljević's legacy shows in the Klinik (Clinic) cycle, where cubism combined with realism and intense colour. His later work tended to be calmer, with less tension, more art deco stylization. Gecan's early work shows free movement and the character stylization that would develop into his signature style. It is known that the first exhibition of Miroslav Kraljević's work in 1912 at the Ulrich Gallery in Zagreb had a significant impact on both Gecan and Uzelac. Gecan continued his education in Munich in 1913, where he broadened his artistic horizons. Gecan's war experience in prisoner-of-war camps had a lasting effect on him. His "Clinic" cycle of 1920, considered a masterpiece of Croatian expressionism, was based on a clinic in Prague, where Gecan was treated for kidney disease. But the paintings depict something closer to a mental hospital with dark characterisations, unsettling black and white rhythms, strange elongated figures, - enclosed spaces with strange characters trapped in them. His experiences in the camps permeated are key to understanding his paintings over the next few years. His uses of visual tension creates a state of anxiety. At the Spring Salon of 1921, Gecan exhibited the painting "Cinik" (The Cynic), which is now considered the most important work of Croatian Expressionist painting. This image derives from cubist and expressionist styles, symbolizing the world as a stage, and marked deformation of character. A young man in a red suit and bow tie sits at an oversized table with a shifted perspective that is tilted towards the viewer. He is reading ''Der Sturm'', a newspaper that was known to promote expressionist art. The man in the picture is Gecan himself, who at the time was 27 years old. He looks cramped and awkward, the body language suggesting some inner turmoil, while the facial expression is a grimace. Gecan's later paintings show a broader understanding of style and echoes of cubism, specifically the stylization of art deco. Unfortunately, his artistic development slowed as the symptoms of Parkinson's disease took hold. After spending some years in the United States, his work became softer, with a more conventional realism, and he created many still lifes and landscapes.

Works

Paintings

* Mlinovi (Mills), 1919 * Self-portrait, 1920 * Ropstvo u Siciliji (Slavery in Sicily),1921 * Pejzažu (Landscape), 1921 * Portret Anuška Micić, 1921 * Cinik (The Cynic, Self-portrait), 1921 * Nove vijesti (News), 1922 * Kod rada (At Work) * U krčmi (In the Tavern), 1922 * Kod stola (At the Table), 1923 * Self-portrait, 1923 * Portret Dr. Piskulica, 1928

Graphical illustrations

* Pobuna (Rebellion), 1914 * Dr. Dorić * Bijesni (Angry) * Gentelmen * Glava (Head), 1920 * Klinik cycle (Clinic), 1921 * Advertising Poster for a Shipping Company (1928)

Exhibitions

During his lifetime, Vilko Gecan held many solo exhibitions as well as participating in the Zagreb Spring Salon, and with the Group of Four.

Solo exhibitions

Recent exhibitions of his work include: * 2005 Vilko Gecan retrospektiva,

Zagreb * 1972 Vilko Gecan retrospektiva, Art Pavilion, Zagreb * 1964 Vilko Gecan retrospektiva,

Modern Gallery, Zagreb Modern Gallery (; since 2021 the National Museum of Modern Art, ) is a museum in Zagreb, Croatia that holds the most important and comprehensive collection of paintings, sculptures and drawings by 19th and 20th century Croatian artists. The colle ...

Group exhibitions

* 2011 Passion and rebellion: Expressionism in Croatia, Klovićevi dvori, Zagreb * 2007–2008 100 Prime Works Of Croatian Artists From The Collections Of The National Museum In Belgrade, Art Pavilion, Zagreb * 2007 Iz fundusa galerije – Museum of Modern Art, Dubrovnik * 2006 Croatian Collection – Museum of Contemporary Art, Skopje

Public collections

Vilko Gecan's work can be found in the following public collections Croatia *

Filip Trade Collection The Filip Trade Collection (Croatian: ''Zbirka Filip Trade'') is a large private collection of contemporary Croatian art. The collection is a subsidiary of Filip Trade, a distribution company with its offices located in the capital city of Croatia, ...

Museum of Contemporary Art, Zagreb The Museum of Contemporary Art (, often abbreviated to MSU) is a contemporary art art museum, museum located on Dubrovnik Avenue in Zagreb, Croatia. It is the biggest and most modern museum in the country. Vesna Meštrić is current director of MS ...

Gallery of Fine Arts, Split The Museum of Fine Arts (), is an art museum in Split, Croatia containing works from the 14th century up to the present day providing an overview of the artistic developments in the local art scene. The museum was founded in 1931, and has a perm ...

* Museum of Modern Art, Dubrovnik Macedonia * Museum of Contemporary Art, Skopje

References

Bibliography

* Vilko Gecan by Joza Ladovic. Published by Art studio Azinovic D.O.O (1997). Croatian. . * Vilko Gecan. Monograph by Zvonko Maković. Published Matica hrvatska, Zagreb, 1997. .