UGM is seeking the artwork of Viktor Cotič

Maribor Art Gallery (UGM) is currently seeking the artwork of Viktor Cotič, a teacher, painter, illustrator, set designer, and organiser of Maribor's fine art activities.

Do you have any of the artwork created by Primorska native Viktor Cotič, who lived in Maribor from 1919 to 1933 and quickly rose to prominence as one of the city's most significant advocates for organised art?

Many Maribor residents utilise art to decorate their homes as a way to display their civic belonging. Those who purchased paintings by Viktor Cotič were among the first to support Slovenian artists following World War I. The artist was a well-known teacher at the time and gave numerous private lessons. His portraits and landscapes are less well recognised, but the 1923 graphic portfolio of woodblock prints honouring the city of Maribor is the most well-known piece of his art to the general audience.

There will be an exhibition honouring Viktor Cotič at the Maribor Art Gallery in October.
In addition to the paintings and drawings by Viktor Cotič, the UGM is also accepting a variety of information and materials, including photographs and correspondence, that have some indirect connection to the artist. Also appreciated are brief narratives describing the family's history with the artwork, its significance to the owner, etc.

Information can be sent to infoping@ugmpong.si till September 10th 2024. The materials and artworks will be inventoried for research reasons with the owners' permission, and a selection of the most visually appealing pieces will be chosen for an exhibition in the UGM Kabinet.

With the Viktor Cotič exhibition, we would like to honour a versatile personality who enthusiastically attempted to lay the groundwork for organised fine art activities in our city. This is the first in a planned series of exhibitions on the fascinating phenomenon of the people from the Slovene Littoral (Primorska), who influenced our town's artistic life in the years following World War I.