France Mihelič
France Mihelič (born April 27, 1907 in Virmaše , † August 1, 1998 in Ljubljana ) was a Slovenian painter . He is considered a key figure in Slovenian surrealist painting in the second half of the 20th century. In the city of Ptuj , where he worked for several years, there is an art gallery named after him .
Life
Mihelič's birthplace is near Škofja Loka , where he completed his school education. He then studied at the Zagreb Academy of Liberal Arts from 1927 to 1931 . He then worked as a freelance artist in various fields and took over a teaching post for drawing at the Ptuj grammar school .
In 1939 he opened the first public picture gallery of the place in a boarding school in Ptuj. Here he also showed the deceased Kurent , supreme god of the pagan Slovenes. This picture is considered to be a key figure in all of Mihalič's oeuvre, indeed it is regarded as the most important work of Slovenian interwar painting.
The painter has received several awards for his work, including: the three-time award of the art prize named after France Prešeren , in 1949 for his paintings Kolona v snegu (column / column in the snow) and Vaška ječa (village prison), in 1955 for his graphic art Complete works and in 1965 for the equipment and the puppets for the performance Sinja ptica (Blue Bird) of the Ljubljana Puppet Theater.
Mihelič also received the Levstik Award four times : in 1949 for the book illustrations for Prežihov Vorancs Solzice (Lily of the Valley ), in 1951 for the illustrations for Fran Levstik's Najdihojca , in 1952 for the artistic design of the book Pestrna ( Childminder ) by France Bevk and in 1956 for Mira Miheličs Štirje letni časi (Four Seasons). In 1978, the then Yugoslav State Academy honored Mihalič with the Jakopič Award for his artistic life's work.
The artist bequeathed the entire Œvre to the city of Ptuj.
France Mihelič married the writer and translator Mira Mihelič in 1950, who died in 1985. The couple had a daughter, Alenka Puhar, who later became a journalist and book author.
Honors
In the town of Ptuj , on the bank of the Drava River at 29 Prešernova Street, there is a historic rotunda from 1551, which was part of the town's defense system. This tower represents the municipal art gallery that carries Mihalic's name.
The gallery houses two permanent collections on two floors: the graphic cabinet by France Mihelič and the collection of graphics by Luigi Kasimir .
At the same time, exhibitions of other Slovenian and foreign contemporary artists take place here.
A bust of Mihelič greets visitors in the entrance area of the rotunda on the river bank.
Web links
- Home of contemporary visual arts , information about the Ptuj art gallery.
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b Information on Mihalič's life according to the Ptuj gallery homepage, accessed on January 20, 2020.
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Mihelič, France |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Slovenian painter |
| DATE OF BIRTH | April 27, 1907 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Virmaše |
| DATE OF DEATH | August 1, 1998 |
| Place of death | Ljubljana |