| Title: | (E) Opening of Croatian Naive Art Gallery and Museum in the USA |
| Submitted by: | Dr. Frank Zeljko Beluhan |
| Date: | May 18, 06 |
| Category: | Culture And Arts |
U.S.
CROATIAN NAIVE ART GALLERY AND MUSEUM
OPENING IN ST. PETERSBURG, FLORIDA, U.S.A.
Mission Statement
OF
CroatianNaiveArt.com
'TO HELP BRING SOME WELL-DESERVED RECOGNITION TO A FEW OF THE WORLD'S GREATEST
ARTISTS BY OFFERING FRIENDS AND CUSTOMERS UNIQUE PAINTINGS THEY WILL LOVE WHILE
HAVING FUN ALONG THE WAY.'
The major exhibition of 'The Fantastical World of Croatian Naive Art' was organized from February through June 2000, at the Museum of Fine Arts in St. Petersburg, Florida by the director of the Museum Mr. Michael Milkovich. This show that was enjoyed by over sixty thousand visitors inspired two of those visitors, James and Donna Nannen, to open the Croatian Naive Art Gallery and Museum in St. Petersburg in June this year.
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James and Donna
Nannen at their home in St Petersburg
Their enthusiasm for this art form brought them many times to see the show, and
they encouraged many friends to visit the
Museum and see the breath taking world of oil on glass painting which was
created by peasants from Podravina. James said, that by being introduced to
Croatian Naive Art, it helped him develop an appreciation for all arts. He fell
in love with Croatian Naive Art immediately, and so did his wife Donna, who is
an Art History graduate from Lake Erie College.
The Fantastical World of Croatian Naive Art show included the 'Ten Classic'
artists of this art form:
Ivan Generalic, Mirko Virius, Emerik Fejes, Matija Skurjeni, Ivan Rabuzin,
Dragan Gazi, Ivan Vecenaj, Mijo Kovacic, Ivan Lackovic Croata and Josip
Generalic. Vecenaj's Moses and the Red Sea made a lasting impression on the
Nannens who decided to start their own collection of Croatian Naives.
They traveled to Croatia two times, and met many naive artists there. When in
Croatia, they would visit 6 - 7 artists per day, each time seeing something new
and exciting. Their current collection includes over 45 artists. After meeting
with Croatian artists in the artist's hometowns, James realized that this
artwork and the artist's stories were so
important that they should be brought to the United States. Bringing this art to
America became a passion for James. He felt compelled to tell this story to his
countrymen and visiting tourists (yearly visit surpass 7,000,000 people in our
area).
The U.S. Croatian Naive Gallery and Museum will be located directly across the
street from the Museum of Fine Arts in St. Petersburg, Florida, and is scheduled
to open in June 2006. Information and art work may be seen at
www.croatiannaiveart.com .
James Nannen hopes that through the success of his gallery he will be able to
acquire more artist's work and achieve
recognition for them in the United States. If all goes well, hopefully in just a
few years, the gallery will be enlarged and museum
quality pieces will become part of the permanent collection. The museum will
contain representative works of artists and will be
permanently exhibited.
James and Donna are very enthusiastic people. We wish them the best in this
endeavor and congratulate them for presenting
again 'The Fanatstical World of Croatian Naive Art' to the American public.
Frank (Zeljko) Beluhan
Michael Milkovich
contact: Frank13zb@aol.com
Formatted for CROWN by Nenad Bach
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