Jump to content

Viktor Cotič / A Native of Primorska in Maribor
Teacher, painter, set designer, illustrator, organiser of fine arts activities in Maribor
UGM Kabinet, Strossmayerjeva ulica 6
19 October–3 December 2024
opening: Saturday, 19 October 2024, 11:00

curator: Breda Kolar Sluga, Museum Counsellor

We are pleased to introduce Viktor Cotič (1885–1955), a native of the Slovene Littoral (Primorska) who relocated to Maribor at the end of 1918, with this research exhibition in the UGM Kabinet. He played a significant role in coordinating the fine art scene during the challenging post-World War I era when Maribor was forging its Slovenian character. With General Maister's help, he arranged the First Art Exhibition as early as 1920 and established the Grohar Art Association, the first organisation that brought together artists in our city. He was a versatile personality who was well-known for his work as a educator, painter, illustrator and set designer.

Viktor Cotič shares the fate of many individuals from the generation that served in the Austro-Hungarian Empire in a variety of locations, including Zadar, and then, in the face of growing fascism, continued their professional careers in Maribor following the war. In 1933, Cotič departed from our city and shortly afterward gave up painting. He chose to pursue fishing instead.

This exhibition is the first presentation of Viktor Cotič's creative oeuvre and work in general as well as the first in a series of research exhibitions focused on the particularities of fine art in Maribor in the years between the two world wars.