14 Facts About Vilko Gecan

Vilko Gecan was a Croatian painter, influential in the Zagreb modern art scene of the 1920s and 1930s.

Vilko Gecan is best known for his expressionist paintings and drawings, and for his contributions to the local avantgarde magazine Zenit.

Vilko Gecan showed his work in many solo and group exhibitions in Croatia and abroad.

Vilko Gecan is considered one of the masters of early Croatian expressionism.

Vilko Gecan received the Vladimir Nazor Award for Lifetime Achievement in 1967.

Vilko Gecan was born 16 June 1894 in Kuzelj near Brod na Kupi.

Vilko Gecan attended school in Karlovac, Glogovnici, Zagreb, Dubica, and from 1910 the gymnasium in Banja Luka, where he met Milivoj Uzelac, with whom he developed a strong friendship that was to last throughout his life.

In 1921 Vilko Gecan held his first solo exhibition at the Art Pavilion.

In 1972, a further retrospective of Vilko Gecan's work was held at the Art Pavilion.

Vilko Gecan continued his education in Munich in 1913, where he broadened his artistic horizons.

Vilko Gecan's uses of visual tension creates a state of anxiety.

At the Spring Salon of 1921, Vilko Gecan exhibited the painting "Cinik", which is considered the most important work of Croatian Expressionist painting.

Vilko Gecan is reading Der Sturm, a newspaper that was known to promote expressionist art.

Vilko Gecan looks cramped and awkward, the body language suggesting some inner turmoil, while the facial expression is a grimace.