(1897 – 1982)
Photo Credit: http://www.krsinic.com/
A renowned Yugoslavian sculptor born in Croatia, along with Ivan Meštrović and Antun Augustinčić is considered one of the three most important Croatian sculptors of the 20th century. As a young man, he was trained in the art of stone carving in the local school, but then proceeded to attend a sculpting school in the Czech Republic.
Krsinic graduated there in 1916 and enrolled at the Art Academy in Prague graduating in 1920. From 1924 he lived permanently in Zagreb, teaching and lecturing at the Academy of Fine Arts.
Woman, bronze, 1952
By the late twenties his ideas of individual expression were formed, moving away from the mainstreams of art deco. He was influenced by artist Mestrovic. In 1947 he was conferred the title of “master sculptor” and nominated as head of the postgraduate sculptural workshop at the Academy of Fine Arts. In 1948 he became a member of the Croatian Academy of Arts and Sciences. His teaching career lasted until 1967. Over this long period he trained and coached a number of successful young sculptors from Croatia and abroad. In 1975 he retired from active career and on January 1st, 1982 he died in Zagreb.
Photo Credit: Tesla Memorial Society of New York
His most widely known work is the statue of Nikola Tesla installed at the Niagara Falls State Park, United States, an identical copy of the monument residing in front of the building of the School of Electrical Engineering, University of Belgrade (Serbia). The works of Frano Krsinic are exhibited in private collections and museums in London, Geneva, Moscow, Berlin, Munich, Stockholm, New York, Washington, Addis Ababa, Kawasaki and elsewhere.
The works of Frano Krsinic are exhibited in private collections and museums in London, Geneva, Moscow, Berlin, Munich, Stockholm, New York, Washington, Addis Ababa, Kawasaki and elsewhere.