Marking centenary of birth of pioneer of Zagreb School of Animated Film Aleksandar Marks
On 7 February 2023, the National and University Library in Zagreb (NSK) hosted a special programme marking the centenary of the birth of Croatian animator, graphic artist, illustrator and painter Aleksandar Marks. Jointly organised by the Library and the Museum of Čazma, the programme included the presentation of a monograph on Marks which the Museum recently published with the support of the Croatian Ministry of Culture and Media, Bjelovar-Bilogora County and City of Čazma to mark the 20th anniversary of its Aleksandar Marks Gallery, and a one-day exhibition of Marks’s works.
After the programme’s attendees were greeted by the Director General of the National and University Library in Zagreb Dr Ivanka Stričević, the life and work of the great artist was presented by Professor at the Department of Art History of the Zagreb Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences Frano Dulibić, film theory specialist, film critic and retired university professor Dr Hrvoje Turković, Head of the Aleksandar Marks Gallery Jadranka Kruljac-Sever and Head of the Print Collection of the National and University Library in Zagreb Tamara Ilić-Olujić, while the Director of the Museum of Čazma Dr Maja Cepetić Rogić presented the monograph, as its editor.
The National and University Library in Zagreb always gladly joins all programmes promoting cultural heritage, its values and different approaches to its preservation, especially so when such programmes spotlight the legacy of artists whose life and work are not sufficiently known to the public, despite their all too significant achievements. Aleksandar Marks is by all means one such artist and we are therefore pleased that this monograph will remain a permanent reminder of his contribution to both Croatian and world art, said NSK Director General Dr Stričević.
The exhibition featured some of altogether 23 Marks’s works that the Library’s Print Collection proudly boasts along with selected works from the Aleksandar Marks Gallery, presenting his rich oeuvre as an illustrator and graphic artist, in addition to which he also drew comic strips for a brief period. His importance in the context of Croatian cultural heritage also lies in his impact as one of the central figures of the earliest period in the development of animation in Croatia. Apart from being the lead animator for Crvenkapica (Little Red Riding Hood) (1954), the first Croatian colour animated film, Marks was the originator of a pronouncedly modern visual quality in animation which gave rise to the concept of the famous Zagreb School of Animated Film and a holder of many national and international animated film awards.
A 2022 monograph marking the centenary of the birth of the pioneer of the Zagreb School of Animated Film, graphic artist, illustrator and painter Aleksandar Marks which the Museum of Čazma published with the support of the Croatian Ministry of Culture and Media, Bjelovar-Bilogora County and City of Čazma.
