GALLERY MEŠTROVIĆ (GALERIJA MEŠTROVIĆ)

In Croatia, sculptor Ivan Meštrović is a historical monument! In keeping with his imposing body of work, the country has set up four emblematic sites: the studio in Zagreb, where the master stayed until the Second World War, the Presvetog Otkupitelja church in Postav (near Drniš), and in Split, where two exceptional exhibition spaces await the visitor. First, on Mount Marjan, the Galerija Meštrović, in the Meje district, which is rather out of the way but well worth a visit. All buses to Zvončac take you there. This huge neo-classical villa was designed as a wealthy seaside residence. Built in the 1930s to designs by M. Bilinic and L. Horvat, the palace impresses by its monumentality, with its large colonnade on the façade and its beautiful opening onto the park and beyond to the sea. In addition to the living quarters, there are various rooms and workshops for the work of the sculptor, who loved raw materials such as clay, wood and stone. But the artist rarely stayed there, refusing even to use his art for the benefit of the German occupiers. For this, he was imprisoned for several years. He then went into exile, settling in Switzerland and the United States. Finally, in 1952, in a deed of gift, he bequeathed his palace to the Yugoslav state, which converted the premises into a museum.

Today, the foundation, which manages this heritage of 200 works, exhibits a permanent monograph of sculptures, oil paintings, drawings and sketches, which help to understand the genesis of the work. Monumental sculptures are also on display in the park.

The Meštrovićeve Crikvine-Kaštilac gallery-temple, street number 39. The other part of the tour opens the doors of a ^16th-century agricultural estate, owned by the De Capogrosso family and bought by Meštrović. A museum of sacred art was founded here between 1939 and 1941, entirely dedicated to the master sculptor. In this place of peace and meditation, take a break in the olive grove, the garden and the superb cloister. Inside the soberly decorated Church of the Holy Cross, the bare interior walls bear twenty-eight wooden reliefs depicting scenes from the life of Jesus. From 1916 onwards, Meštrović worked for almost thirty-five years to complete this monumental ensemble, considered a masterpiece of European sacred sculpture. Also above the altar, a beautiful crucifix.