Meštrović Pavilion
| Meštrović Pavilion | |
|---|---|
| Meštrovićev paviljon | |
 |
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| General information | |
| Town or city | Zagreb |
| Country | Croatia |
| Coordinates | 45°48′36″N 15°59′14″E / 45.81000°N 15.98722°ECoordinates: 45°48′36″N 15°59′14″E / 45.81000°N 15.98722°E |
| Construction started | 1934 |
| Completed | 1938 |
The Meštrović Pavilion (Croatian: Meštrovićev paviljon), also known as the Home of Croatian Artists and colloquially as džamija, Croatian for "mosque", is a cultural venue and the official seat of the Croatian Association of Artists (HDLU) located on the Square of the Victims of Fascism (Trg žrtava fašizma) in central Zagreb, Croatia. Designed by Ivan Meštrović and built in 1938, it has served several functions in its lifetime. An art gallery before World War II, it was converted into a mosque under the Independent State of Croatia and was subsequently transformed into the Museum of the Revolution in post-war Yugoslavia. In 1990, it was given back to the Croatian Association of Artists. After extensive renovation, it has served as a space for exhibitions and events since 2006.
In the early 1930s, the Croatian Art Society Josip Juraj Strossmayer was seeking a new exhibition space. At that time, sculptor Ivan Meštrović, then the president of Art Society Strossmayer, was given the task to create a sculpture in honor of King Peter I for the Square of King Peter (Trg kralja Petra) in Zagreb.
Recognizing an opportunity to combine these two needs, Meštrović suggested that instead of a single sculpture, an entire building be erected on the square. After some negotiation, Meštrović’s proposal was accepted and an endowment for the construction of the House of Fine Arts of King Petar the Great Emancipator was established in 1933.
Meštrović designed the preliminary concept for the building in 1933. Architects Ladislav Horvat and Harold Bilinić, who frequently collaborated with Meštrović, drew up detailed plans based on Meštrović’s conceptual design. The resulting building was one of the first round exhibition halls in the region.
The interior was designed to accommodate three categories of art: sculpture, painting, and photography/works on paper. The main entrance of the pavilion opens into a vestibule flanked on either side by staircases. Directly ahead is the central exhibition hall, a cylindrical space designed for exhibiting sculpture. Above the entrance to this space is a relief of King Petar I by Ivan Meštrović. The staircases lead to a circular exhibition hall. A smaller, concentric exhibition hall opens into the cylindrical space and offers views of the gallery below.
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