Venezia
dal 4/12/2000 al 19/1/2001
Segnalato da
4/12/2000
Venezia
Mark Murray Fine Paintings, New York
By Zec Safet. Oils, works on paper by the celebrated Bosnian, Venice-based painter a show dedicated to his new hometown.
By Zec Safet. Oils, works on paper by the celebrated Bosnian, Venice-based painter
a show dedicated to his new hometown.
Before the attrition of Yugoslavia, Zec was a well-known painter in his
native land. His fame was consistently spreading abroad as he gained exposure
in galleries all over Europe, North and
South America, and Japan. Zec was bom to the son of a poor Muslim cobbler as
the last of eight children. Due to the devastating war, Zec's family moved
from
the Gorazade and Rogatica
region, to Sarajevo where the family settled. It was there that Zec spent
his
childhood. At a young age Zec aspired to be an artist. He swiftly mastered
artistic skills in his youth and was
considered a prodigy by the time he reached Belgrade Academy of Fine Arts.
Zec continued for some years in Belgrade and eventually bought and restored a
house in Pocitelj where he
created a studio. In 1991, his peaceful life was disrupted by the onset of
the war in Pocitelj. His studio and much of his print work were burned out,
representing the destruction of years of
work. In 1992, unable to paint and support his family as the bombardment of
Sarajevo intensified, Zec found a studio space in Udine, northeast of Venice.
During this period of exile, Zec's
painting flourished and since then he has moved to Venice where he continues
his work with unceasing tenacity. He plans for a large scale retrospective
exhibition of pictures from before,
during, and after the war to be held next year in Sarajevo, and then to tour
several cities in France, starting in Lille. Zec intends to return someday to
Sarajevo.
Zec's intrigue with windows is apparent in the abundance of his paintings
which feature them. He stated: "The house where I grew up in Sarajevo was
opposite a big house with a large
facade and many windows. I've been fascinated by them ever since. Painting
windows is like painting a portrait for me. They are like people, they change
their aspect as the day and night
passes. They're ever present in our lives."
Hours: Mon.-Fri. 10am-6pm Sat. 11am-5pm
Mark Murray Fine Paintings -
980 Madison Avenue NYC 10021 -
tel 212 585 2380