Mestrovic Gallery
TIME : 2016/2/22 10:33:58
Mestrovic Gallery
A short cab ride from downtown Split, the Mestrovic Gallery is an art museum dedicated to the life and work of 20th-century sculptor, Ivan Meštrović, who has been compared to Rodin. Formerly Mestrovic’s house and atelier, the holdings now contain 192 sculptures, 583 drawings, 4 paintings, 291 architectural plans and two furniture sets. There are also 168 works of art owned by Meštrović’s heirs.
The house and garden hold some of the artist's best work, including a pair of huge walnut Adam and Eve figures and the powerful bronze Cyclops. Mestrovic's religious art comprises much of the gallery's permanent exhibits.
You will discover the family archive found inside the house, which contains letters and personal documents of family members and friends, as well as builder Marin Marasovic’s archives (which include the building of The Most Holy Redeemer Church in Otavice and the erection of the Monument to Unknown Hero on Avala).
Don’t miss the 16th-century Kastelet, a Renaissance-style summer house on the gallery property purchased and remodeled by Mestrovic in 1939 as a showcase for his "Life of Christ Cycle" reliefs. The room-sized wood carvings line Kastelet's Holy Cross Chapel. If you have a ticket to the main gallery, there is no extra charge to enter Kastelet. It’s a quick walk up the road to Setaliste Ivana Mestrovica 39.
