Josip Generalic Biography
Josip Generalic was born in Hlebine, Croatia, in 1935. After leaving his native village in 1960, he moved to Zagreb where he worked as a teacher in an elementary school. In 1962 he graduated from the Collegio Magistrale Superiore and then began his artistic career. Due to some personal tragedies, some of his works represent the so-called "black phase".
Over his lifetime, Generalic exhibited his works in over 1,000 group exhibitions and 200 solo exhibitions around the world. He was often present at the major exhibitions representing Croatian and world naïve art. The artist has been awarded by numerous international juries. He created some stage paintings for Zagreb theaters, illustrated children's books and created around thirty tapestries. One of these, entitled "The Great Harvest", is permanently exhibited in the Museum of Modern Art in Soitama, Japan.
Josip's canvas paintings, silkscreens and copper plate engravings can be found in many galleries and museums. For about 15 years he has worked intensely on copper engravings, using his own press. Generalic was acclaimed by critics as the greatest artist in the field of painting and graphics and one of the greatest representatives of the famous "Hlebine school". Josip Generalic's artworks are classified into four phases: Hlebine's realism, the flower phase, portraits of famous people and the black phase.
Josip Generalic died in Koprivnica on 22 December 2004 and was buried in Hlebine.
