Painting Collection

The painting collection was formed in 1948, when artworks collected for the holdings of the Split City Museum were transferred from the City Library in Split.

As part of the museum’s historical holdings, the collection comprises works spanning a wide range of styles and artistic value, dating from the 15^th century to the present day. It includes views of Split, portraits of prominent figures from the city and its surrounding area, religious artworks, and paintings of varied subject matter by artists associated with Split through their life, work, or origin.

The earliest paintings in the collection include a Madonna from the second half of the 15^th century, traditionally belonging to the Marulić family and stylistically related to the work of the Venetian painter Lazzaro Bastiani; a late-15^th-century Crucifixion by a folk artist; and a 16^th-century Madonna and Child of the last Rector of Brač, created by an Italo-Cretan master.

Works from the 17^th and 18^th centuries comprise portraits of ecclesiastical dignitaries and members of noble families, alongside paintings of religious subject matter, mostly by unknown Italian artists. Of particular documentary importance are the portraits of the distinguished lawyer and writer Jerolim Cavagnin and his brother, Šimun Cavagnin, Bishop of Trogir, painted by an unknown Venetian artist at the end of the 17^th century. Also included are portraits of Dr. Radoš Micheli Vitturi, Archbishop Pacifico Bizza, and Canon Toma Čulić dating from the second half of the 18^th century.

Of considerable cultural and historical significance are views of Split and portraits of Split citizens painted by 19^th-century local amateur artists Petar Zečević and Frane Bratanić, as well as by the Trieste-based amateur painter M. Olivero. Late-19^th-century portraits of prominent Split citizens by Antonio Zuccaro and Josip Lalić stand out for their quality. Portraits of figures from Split’s cultural and political life (including Gajo Bulat, Vid Morpurgo, Natko Nodilo, Dr. Ante Trumbić, Don Lovre Katić, and Dujam Srećko Karaman) were painted by Virgil Meneghello Dinčić, Vinko Draganja, Ivan Mirković, Narcis Burić, and Silvije Bonacci Čiko.

In the past decade, the Painting Collection has been significantly expanded through two donations: 112 works by the Split painter and printmaker Božidar Matas, and 29 paintings by the painter and stage designer Vinko Bavčević. The collection continues to grow with acquisitions of works by leading figures of the Split art scene from the second half of the 20^th century and the early 21^st century.