Milivoy UZELAC (Mostar 1897- Paris 1977) Lot n° 13

The fruit-bearers Oil on isorel 53.5 x 39 cm Signed lower left "Uzelac". Croatian-born painter, draftsman, poster artist and illustrator Milivoy Uzelac was a pioneer of modern art. He first took classes with Professor Oton Ivekovic at the Academy of Fine Arts in Zagreb, but dropped out a year later, judging them too academic. From 1915 to 1923, he worked in Prague and Zagreb in an Expressionist style. With the young Zagreb Expressionists (Vilko Gecan, Marijan Trepse and Vladimir Varlaj), he took part in the 7th Spring Salon; they became known as the Group of Four. Uzelac immersed himself in the work of Manet, Cézanne, Gauguin, the Fauves, Picasso, Braque and the Nabis. The Czech avant-garde, led by artists such as Othon Coubine, Emil Filla and German Expressionists like Kirchner and Schmidt-Rottluff, had a strong influence on his artistic orientation. Milivoy Uzelac first travelled to Paris in 1921, living in the Montparnasse district. His work took on neo-Cubist forms, influenced by the work of André Lhote, whose Academy was located near Montparnasse. In 1923, Uzelac moved to the suburb of Malakoff and received numerous commissions. He exhibited at the Salon d'Automne until 1944 and at the Salon des Indépendants until 1940. He led an intense life, working during the day and maintaining a dense social life at night. From the 1930s onwards, Uzelac began to visit the South of France frequently, and often produced variations on the same motif. He was particularly fond of subjects in which the sea played a central role. He is known for his numerous representations of bathers, seascapes and water sports scenes. E.V