24 Facts About Oton Gliha

Oton Gliha was a Croatian artist, born in Slovenia.

Oton Gliha is best known for his series of abstract paintings based on the patterns of the drystone walls of coastal Croatia.

Oton Gliha held solo exhibitions of his work in Croatia, and abroad.

Oton Gliha participated in the Venice Bienniales of 1962 and 1964.

Oton Gliha received the Vladimir Nazor Award for lifetime achievement in 1977.

Oton Gliha was elected to the Croatian Academy of Sciences and Arts in 1998.

Oton Gliha's paintings are held in public collections around the world, for example New York, Sao Paulo, Paris and Turin.

Oton Gliha was born 21 May 1914 in Crnomelj, then in Austria-Hungary, today in Slovenia.

Oton Gliha's parents were originally from Istria, on the northern part of the Croatian coast.

Shortly after his birth, the family moved to Osijek, where young Oton Gliha attended primary school.

Oton Gliha graduated in 1937, in the class of Marino Tartaglia.

Oton Gliha's family came from the island of Krk, where the couple would spend much of their time when not in Zagreb.

In 1938, Oton Gliha participated in his first exhibition in Zagreb, and in 1954 held his first solo exhibition.

Oton Gliha travelled and exhibited his work abroad, including several visits to Paris, Italy, USA.

In 1977, Oton Gliha received the Vladimir Nazor Award for lifetime achievement in the visual arts.

Oton Gliha's landscapes showed the influence of Paul Cezanne, and he tended to use thick paint in an impasto style to describe the form in his still life subjects.

In 1954, Oton Gliha painted "Primorje", a coastal landscape that marked the beginning of one of the major series in Croatian art.

Oton Gliha's subject was the lattice of drystone walls, so common on the island of Krk, and along the Croatian coast.

Oton Gliha's motif became a constant in his art, and is immediately identifiable in all its variations.

Oton Gliha held solo exhibitions in leading modern art galleries in Turin, 1960; Sao Paulo, 1961 and Milan in 1964.

Oton Gliha participated at the 31st and 32nd Biennale in Venice and he painted his dry stone walls as large compositions for public venues.

Oton's relatives, Vilko Gliha Selan was a well known Croatian painter and illustrator, and Christina Gliha is following in the family footsteps as a commercial illustrator.

Oton Gliha held solo exhibitions of his work in Zagreb, Rijeka, Belgrade, Ohrid, Sarajevo, Turin, Sao Paulo, Milan, and Genoa.

Oton Gliha participated at the 31st and 32nd Venice Biennial in 1962 and 1964.