JULIJE KNIFER (1924–2004) was one of the most prominent Croatian abstract artists and founding member of the 1960s art collective Gorgona Group. He graduated from and received his masters from the Academy of Fine Arts in Zagreb. In the 1970s he moved to Germany, and in 1994 he moved to Paris, where he lived until his death.
He was initially influenced by cubism and purism in the 60s but later completely devoted his art practice to the exploration of meander. The meander is a geometric form which he had been creating since 1960 in various painting techniques such as print, oil, acrylic paint, collage and mural. An example of site specific art he created was the colossal meander on a 20 x 30 m canvas in a quarry in Tübingen (1975). Knifer had unique composition, expression, rhythm, artistic minimalism and his art practice explored the relationship between black and white. He exhibited at the most prestigious world exhibitions, at the Biennale in Venice twice, and in Sao Paolo three times. His works are in the most prominent private and museum collections around the world. Knifer’s painting “PLS 69” (1969) was sold in 2016 at an auction in Venice for €137,000, becoming the highest price ever paid for Croatian contemporary art.
Bez naziva, grafika, 1987, A.O., 34,5 x 24 cm