Croatian Museum of Naive Art
Why naïve?
Do you know what naive art means? Even If you don't, it is easy to take a good guess based just on the meaning of the word ''naïve''. So, Naïve art is any form of visual art that is created by a person who lacks the formal education and training that a professional artist undergoes and is usually recognised for its childlike simplicity and frankness.
First of that kind in the world
Zagreb is home to the first museum institution in the world specialised in that kind of art form. Along with Henri Rousseau and the French classics of the first generation, Croatian naïve artists are considered the most important and artistically most relevant component of the world of naive. This primarily refers to the creation of Ivan Generalić, Ivan Rabuzin, Emeric Feješ and Peter Smajic, undeniable classics of world naive whose works form the backbone of the permanent exhibition of the Croatian Museum of Naïve Art.
Image credit: Zagreb Tourist Board, Marko Vrdoljak
Amazing collection
The museum holdings consist of over 1,900 works of art - paintings, sculptures, drawings and prints, mainly by Croatian artists but also by other well-known international artists in the genre. Of those, around 80 pieces are on display. From time to time, the museum organises topics and retrospective exhibitions by naïve artists, expert meetings and educational workshops and playrooms as well as travelling abroad in order to reach out to a wider audience – in recent years collection was exhibited in Japan, the USA, Italy, and Slovakia.
Beyond just art
Naïve art is the consequence and proof of democratisation both general social relations and artistic creativity. It clearly shows that everyone has the right to express themselves artistically and art schools themselves are not a guarantee of artistic value because art can be achieved without them. In the Naïve, emotion counts more than reason and intellectual speculations. In the majority of cases, the Naïve expresses the joy of life and the victory of hope. Here we can discover "the forgotten nature" and "lost childhood", stories and dreams, a vital imagination and simple human inventions, the forgotten "wonder at the world" and the ability to rejoice in a motif. But the Naïve is not just an arcadian art and idyll, it does not express only trust in and celebration of life. There are some sorry tales in it too, some dark and chthonic accords. In the Naïve, you can also come across the tragic and the symbolic, the fantastic and surreal relationships, somnambulism and unreality, which all means that it is made up of a hundred opposites - just like life.
Image credit: pexels
Try it out
So, why not try to be naïve in this, art sense? Let your imagination run wild and take courage to paint something even if that is not a thing you usually do and last time you took a painting brush was when you were literally a naïve child – you might surprise yourself. But, of course, first visit the Museum for some inspiration! I will never forget how my grandma held her favourite Rabuzin painting in her living room. He was also a part of this movement, and one of the reasons why this text is unveiling in front of you. I wish those pieces of art inspire you in the same way like they inspired me. This museum is one more reason to love Zagreb.
Some general info
- Working hours: Monday - Saturday: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. / Sunday: 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. / Closed on national holidays
- Admission: Adults: 25 kunas / Schoolchildren, students, retirees, persons with disabilities: 15 kunas / Families with children up to 15 years: 50 kunas / Group visits, adults (from 10 to 25 persons): 15 kunas / Group visits, children, schoolchildren, students (from 10 to 25 persons): 10 kunas
- Find out more at their web page!
Header image credit: Zagreb Tourist Board, Marko Vrdoljak
Author: Anđela Ivčević