Fishermen: From the Art Collections of the Stari Grad Museum
July, 1st – July 12th 2025
Sv. Jerolim Art Gallery
Opening: July 1st 2025. at 8:30pm
Thou would’st have been delighted to behold them,
As, seated upon the side, they drew their nets.
Petar Hektorović, Fishing and Fishermen’s Conversation, 1105-06.
(trans. Edward D. Goy)
The exhibition Fishermen presents a curated selection of works on paper and paintings that explore the enduring theme of fishing and coastal life, as seen through the eyes of prominent 20th-century Croatian artists. Drawn from the rich art collections of the Stari Grad Museum, this show brings together the expressionistic paintings of Pavo Dulčić and the quiet Mediterranean painting of Oton Postružnik, alongside the evocative drawings of Bartol Petrić which capture the daily rituals and stoic presence of fishermen, of Alem Ćurin, which blends whimsical narrative style with stylised elements using vivid colours and symbolic imagery and of Magda Dulčić, who adds an introspective scene with finely balanced composition that gives an impression of dream and memory.
Complementing these central works are pieces by a range of notable artists whose interpretations enrich the narrative of fishermen’s life and work. Vladimir Pintarić’s Fishermen and Anton Švaljek’s Night Activity capture the quiet tension and rhythm of nocturnal labour at sea, while The Fisherman’s Daughter by Petar Jakelić is an intriguing composition that exudes a surreal atmosphere and fragmented forms, creating an impression of inner unrest and chaotic dynamics. Oskar Herman and Zlatko Slevec present fishermen and fishing scenes through varied lenses from the intimate and poetic, focusing on the quiet routines of fishing life on the one hand and hardships on the other, which is shown in bold, expressive graphics and drawings. Ivo Grbić’s Barbecue offers a sensory depiction of shared meals and seaside rituals, evoking the cultural warmth that surrounds fishing traditions. Anchoring the exhibition in a contemporary and conceptual mode, Peruško Bogdanić, Marijan Detoni and Lukša Peko contribute abstract interpretations of fishing nets, webs of lines and forms that suggest both structure and fluidity. In these works the net is reimagined not only as a tool of labour, but as a visual metaphor for connection, entanglement, and the delicate balance between nature and human craft.
Sculptural works, such as Frano Kršinić’s expressive bronze forms, add material depth to the exhibition, transforming maritime themes into tactile, enduring symbols of coastal identity. The textured relief Detail from Fishing by Željko Radmilović, executed in plaster, materially evokes the tactility and weight of fishermen’s labour, concretising scenes from Fishing and Fishermen’s Conversations by Petar Hektorović through realistically depicted figures of fishermen engaged in their daily work, while the space reserved for engraving verses further emphasises the connection between visual art and Hektorović’s literary heritage. A selection of traditional boat models made by Željko Luka Fredotović further anchors the exhibition in the material culture of fishermen’s life, offering a tangible link to the craftsmanship of past generations.
Fishermen is a meditation on coastal heritage, labour, and the enduring power of the sea. It traces how different generations of Croatian artists have translated the rhythms of fishing life into line, colour, and form. Each work a reflection of the human bond with sea, time, and tradition.
Jadra Ryle