Profil kritičara: English translation

The exhibition Profile of a critic: Oto Bihalji-Merin

The exhibition Profile of a critic: Oto Bihalji-Merin was held from March 23 to April 12, 1976, at the Salon of the Museum of Contemporary Art at Pariska 14. Curated by the Salon’s then-curator, Irina Subotić, the exhibition concept was developed by Bihalji himself. It was intended as the start of a series titled Profile of a critic, which would present contemporary art critics and their work. However, as it turned out, Bihalji-Merin was the only critic whose profile was featured in the Salon.

The exhibition’s core consisted of 22 handmade panels with various materials, including reproductions of artworks, excerpts from books and magazines, personal archives, and documents. These materials illustrated Oto Bihalji-Merin’s life, ideas, and achievements as one of the architects of cultural policy in post-war Yugoslavia. Bihalji divided his narrative into three segments: “Stations of Life,” “Ideas and Perspectives,” and “Documentation.”

Visitors were introduced to the exhibition through “Stations of Life,” covering sections such as “Origins – Family – Pavle Bihalji and the Founding of Nolit,” “Berlin in the 1920s,” “Art Studies – Revolution – Fascism,” “Working as a Pair: Life with Liza,” “Spain Between Death and Birth,” and “Years in Captivity.” This segment charted his life and activities before and during World War II.

The central section, “Ideas and Perspectives,” highlighted Bihalji’s belief in the connection between artists, contemporary art, societal development, and the flow of civilization. Of the 12 panels in this segment, five were dedicated to “World Cultures and Modern Art.” Here, he explored the influence of Oceanic, Far Eastern, Pre-Columbian American, and African cultures on modern art. The panels juxtaposed reproductions of works by Paul Gauguin, Ernst Kirchner, Emil Nolde, and Karl Schmidt-Rottluff with photographs of figures from Oceania, New Guinea, Hawaii, Micronesia, Korea, and Congo.

Bihalji challenged outdated Eurocentric theories, advocating a return to sources through examples like Gauguin’s iconic painting Where Do We Come From? What Are We? Where Are We Going? (1897), featured on the cover of his book Bild und Imagination (Image and Imagination), published in 1974. He emphasized the importance of primitive art and the relevance of naïve art in the development of modern art, referencing works by Henri Rousseau, Picasso, Georges Braque, Ivan Generalić, Ivan Rabuzin, and others.

Another significant portion of the exhibition addressed the intersections of art and science. Bihalji focused on the concept of light and color, tracing the evolution of the idea of light in art and connecting it to movement and time through media such as photography, film, and motion pictures. He linked medieval perceptions of light as revelation, Renaissance and Baroque dramatic light, and Impressionist scientific treatments of light.

The final five panels, under the segment titled “Documentation,” provided an overview of Bihalji’s most significant exhibitions, publishing activities, conferences, and events in which he participated. This included press reactions to the Naïve Art exhibition in Munich (1974–1975).

The exhibition was described as documentary, with its narrative presented through archival materials and only a few of Bihalji’s own works, including the drawing Boxer (1924) and two paintings from the 1950s. Short explanations and quotes appeared on the panels, typed or handwritten by Bihalji himself.

The unique presentation of a critic in a gallery setting illustrated Bihalji’s authentic and distinctive approach to reflecting on and showcasing his decades-long work in both art and politics. His methodology relied on a broader understanding of art as an anthropological and cultural category, integral to the development of society and the individual.