Naïve art is an international art movement beginning in the 20th century that has been defined by the Tate Britain as art that is “simple, unaffected and unsophisticated” and “usually specifically refers to art made by artists who have had no formal training in an art school or academy” and the Croatian Museum of Naïve Art is a rather special art museum that is located in the town of Zagreb in Croatia. It is entirely dedicated to the work of naïve artists of the 20th century and it boasts holdings of over 1,900 paintings, sculptures, drawings and prints by Croatian artists as well as some well-known international artists. Fascinating, diverse and very interesting, it is a must-see for anyone who has found a vacation rental in Zagreb.
Located on the first floor of the 18th-century Raffay Palace, it was founded in 1952 as the Peasant Art Gallery. By 1956, it was known as the Gallery of Primitive Art and was then part of the Zagreb Municipal Galleries and has been the Croatian Museum of Naive Art since 1994.
In Croatia, naïve art was first largely the work of peasants and working men and women, some of which did later go on to become professional artists, in the 1930s. Seen as a democratic movement, it proved the abilities of those unable to achieve formal training and was first exhibited as part of Zagreb Art Pavilion in 1931, with the work of Ivan Generalić and Franjo Mraz, standing out especially. Both are among the artists represented at the museum as well as Eugen Buktenica, Emerik Feješ, Dragan Gaži, Josip Generalić, Drago Jurak, Mijo Kovačić, Ivan Lacković Croata, Martin Mehkek, Ivan Rabuzin, Matija Skurjeni, Petar Smajić, Slavko Stolnik, Lavoslav Torti, Ivan Večenaj, and Mirko Virius. Artists from other countries include Enrico Benassi, Erik Bödeker, Ilija Bosilj, Willem Van Genk, Pietro Ghizzardi, Pavel Leonov, Sofija Naletilić Penavuša, Vangel Naumovski, Nikifor, Sava Sekulić, Milan Stanisavljević, Germain van der Steen and Simon Schwartzenberg.
In addition to the permanent display, the museums hosts special themed exhibits and also tours exhibits around Croatia, as well as sending pieces to museums internationally. Renowned and filled with special gems, art lovers won't want to miss out on this extraordinary museum.