CULTURE
150TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE BIRTH OF JOSIP PLEČNIK
Plečnik’s Contribution
TO BELGRADE
Little was known about Plečnik in Serbia until the 1920s. The credit for his arrival on the Belgrade cultural and arts scene belongs to artist Ivan Meštrović, who nominated him for membership in the Honorary Presidency of the Committee for the Organisation of Artistic Affairs, and Kosta Strajnić, who offered Plečnik the position of director of the future Higher School of Fine Arts By Aleksandra Stamenković, Docent lecturer at the Faculty of Digital Arts, Belgrade Metropolitan University
J
osip (Jože) Plečnik (Ljubljana, 23rd January, 1872 – Ljubljana, 7th January, 1957) was a prominent architect, national servant and one of the most renowned figures on the (Yugo)Slavic cultural scene. An interesting educational journey was marked not only by Plečnik studying architecture at the Vienna Academy of Fine Arts and spending several years working at the studio of Otto Wagner, but also study trips to Italy and France, followed by professorships at the Academy of Arts, Architecture and Design in Prague and the Technical College in Ljubljana. As a consequence of this path, he developed a specific cultural identity, which simultaneously favoured both the urban ideals of the European elite and national patriotism. His artistic versatility brought him influential patrons from the very start of his first creative work, including – as mentioned in literature on the matter – members of the Karađorđević royal family and representatives of the government of the Socialist Yugoslavia. Little was known about Plečnik in Serbia until the 1920s. The credit for his arrival on the Belgrade cultural and arts scene belongs to artist Ivan Meštrović, who nominated him for membership in the Honorary Presidency of the Committee for the Organisation of Artistic Affairs, and Kosta Strajnić, who offered Plečnik the position of director of
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