At the beginning of March, Croatian art from the 1960s will find its place in the world’s most prestigious contemporary art museum, The Museum of Modern Art in New York.
The exhibition, set to open on March 1st, has been organized in collaboration with the Museum of Contemporary Art in Zagreb. MoMA will showcase works by some of the most esteemed Croatian contemporary artists. Visitors to the New York museum will have the opportunity to see “Beskonačni štap” [eng. Infinite Cane] by Josip Vaništa, “Meandar u kut” [eng. Meander in the Corner] by Julije Knifer, works by Dimitrije Bašičević Mangelos, “Unutarnje oči” [ eng. The inner eyes] by Ivan Kožarić along with three other pieces from the Kožarić Atelier, and the black ambient installation by Ljerka Šibenik. This was revealed to HRT’s Vijesti iz Kulture by Jasna Jakšić, senior curator and head of the library and documentation department at the Museum of Contemporary Art (MSU) in Zagreb.
The artworks from the Zagreb museum are already on their way to New York, where they will be displayed for the next three years.
This collaboration, crucial for the global recognition of Croatian art, was initiated by Ana Janevski, curator at MoMA, and Zdenka Badovinac, former director of the Museum of Contemporary Art. The current director, Vesna Meštrić, has been involved from the beginning, ensuring the project continued smoothly.
“Before leaving the country, the artworks undergo a meticulous process of obtaining all necessary permits, as they are considered protected cultural heritage and part of the museum’s collection. They are then thoroughly examined, condition reports are prepared, and they are carefully packed and transported by top professionals to MoMA in New York“, explained Jasna Jakšić.
This is not the first time Croatian art has been featured at the renowned MoMA. Works by various Croatian contemporary artists have previously been exhibited there, including those by Sanja Iveković, Boris Bućan, Mladen Stilinović, Mirko Milić, Tomislav Gotovac, Marijan Jevšovar, Goran Trbuljak, and Ivan Picelj.
