Ivan Radović―from Apstraction to Regions of Sensuality

Ivan Radović―from Apstraction to Regions of Sensuality

Author of the exhibition: Žana Gvozdenović, museum adviser

Ivan Radović, a renowned artist within the Serbian modernism, went through many different stages in his visual expression: cubo-constructivism, neoclassicism, apstraction, naїve art, intimism, poetic realism. Naїve art as an attitude, and as a new subject in painting, also reveals explorations on the level of pure visuality, with emotional, personal interpretation of art, in an authentic joy of living, thus underscoring longstanding alertness towards inner world. The recurrent theme in Radović’s painting is Voivodinian countryside, with its characteristic ambiance of optimism, humanity and sensuality, in spontaneous, destined love for one’s own native land. The exhibition aims at shedding fresh light on Radović’s work, bringing back the production of this prominent artist to the focus of the public’s attention. It will consist of 22 paintings, from all periods of artist’s stylistic development. The Museum’s collections also contain 20 works on paper by Ivan Radović, which will be the subject of a separate exhibition. Within the present selection there are 5 artwork from “A” category.

Considering the artistic contribution of Ivan Radović on the example of the works which are kept at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Belgrade, with no intention of redefining already acknowledged stylistic orientations, that sometimes ran in parallel, namely those that are retro-guard and those that are avant-guard, this exhibitions shows a paradigmatic fraction of Radović’s work along with concrete questions of art which he was so deeply and passionately drawn towards.

Ivan Radović was born in 6/22/1894 in Vršac, and died in Belgrade in 8/14/1973. He studied painting in Budapest, at the Academy of Art. In 1929, he was the winner of the championship of Yugoslavia in tennis. He played for the national team at the Davis Cup competition. He had solo exhibitions in Belgrade (1925, 1928, 1929, 1932, 1952, 1960, 1966, 1971, 1984 (drawings)), in Novi Sad (1966), etc. He regularly exhibited on group shows at home, and as an official representative of Yugoslavia abroad. He was involved in educative work (School of Pedagogy and Girl College in Sombor, Art School in Belgrade). He received numerous awards and acknowledgments. A part of SASA (Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts).

The exhibition traveled to:
National Museum in Valjevo
10/17/2008-11/10/2008
Culture Centre in Vršac
2/5/2010-2/16/2010
Memorial-Collection of Pavle Beljanski, Novi Sad
8/12/2010-9/12/2010
Gallery-Legacy of Milica Zorić & Rodoljub Čolaković, Belgrade
2/24/2011-3/20/2011