JulijeKnifer

Biography

Julije Knifer was a prominent abstract painter related to Neo-Constructivism. He studied painting at the Academy of Fine Arts in Zagreb, graduating in 1956. His artistic production, developed within the Gorgona Group, was characterized by the reduction of all expressive elements through the exploration of a single monochromatic form, the meander, an endless reiterative geometry. In addition to the activities with the Gorgona Group, he was among the first artists to be presented in the series of exhibitions titled New Tendencies in Zagreb. Knifer represented Croatia at two editions of the Biennale di Venezia (1979 and 2001). His works have been exhibited at the Centre Pompidou in Paris, the MAMCO – Musée d’art moderne et contemporain in Geneva, and the Museum of Contemporary Art in Sydney. In 2014, the Museum of Contemporary Art in Zagreb honored him with a major retrospective. His works are in included in numerous public collections, including The Museum of Modern Art in New York, the Tate in London, and the Neue Nationalgalerie in Berlin.