(11.8.1935, Beograd – 29.8.2019, Split)
Vladimir Veličković was one of the main Yugoslav figurative artists who dealt with existential issues through visual images. He was born in Belgrade. At first he studied architecture, but then he devoted himself entirely to creation. He moved to Zagreb, where he visited the studio of Krsto Hegedušić for several years.
Vladimir Veličković was mainly involved in painting and graphics. Already in the early 1960s he developed his own language, which can be easily distinguished from other artists. He created dynamic and tense compositions, where people and animals appear. His figures are often broken down, but they are always embedded in exciting events. Veličković was strongly influenced by the negative experience of the war and the split in ideological views, which strongly marked his art. Violence was something completely normal for the artist, something that every person should face in life. His images are strongly purified, without unnecessary painterly moments. It is a dramatic and timeless space, which he complemented with a decomposed figure. He created this with only a few basic colors, which he added a few accents to.
In 1963, he presented his works at his first solo exhibition. It took place in Belgrade, and soon after that he entered the wider European and international space. In 1965, Vladimir Velickovic was awarded the first prize for painting at the Paris Biennale. Since then, he has enjoyed an even greater reputation among other contemporary artists. Since 1966, he has lived and created in Paris. He became one of the key artists in the Narrative Figuration movement, which, after several years of retreat from figuration, brought it back to the forefront. In addition to his artistic work, Velickovic also worked as an art teacher. He taught at the École Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts. During his lifetime, he received numerous awards that paid tribute to his art. He was also knighted and awarded the Legion of Honour.
Despite living abroad, Veličković remained connected to his home region. He exhibited his paintings both at home and abroad, and also participated in several group exhibitions with contemporary artists. While living in his homeland, he also collaborated with Grupa 69. His work is still highly regarded today and is held by the most prestigious institutions in Europe.
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Vladimir Veličković je bil eden poglavitnih jugoslovanskih figuralnih umetnikov, ki so se preko likovnih podob ukvarjali z eksistencialnimi vprašanji. Rodil se je v Beogradu. Sprva je študiral arhitekturo, nato pa se je v celoti posvetil ustvarjanju. Preselil se je v Zagreb, kjer je nekaj let obiskoval atelje Krste Hegedušića.
Vladimir Veličkovič se je ukvarjal predvsem s slikarstvom in grafiko. Že v začetku šestdesetih let je izoblikoval svojo lastno govorico, ki jo brez težav ločimo od drugih umetnikov. Ustvarjal je dinamične in napete kompozicije, kjer se pojavijo ljudje in živali. Njegove figure so pogosto razčlenjene, vselej pa so vpete v razburljivo dogajanje. Na Veličkovića je namreč močno vplivala negativna izkušnja v vojni in razkol v ideoloških pogledih, ki sta močno zaznamovali njegovo umetnost. Nasilje je bilo za umetnika nekaj povsem normalnega, s čimer naj bi se vsak človek soočil v življenju. Njegove podobe so močno izčiščene, brez nepotrebnih slikarskih momentov. Gre za dramatični in brezčasni prostor, ki ga je dopolnil z razkrojeno figuro. To je ustvaril le z nekaj osnovnimi barvami, ki jim je nadel nekaj poudarkov.
Leta 1963 se je z deli predstavil na prvi samostojni razstavi. Potekla je v Beogradu, kmalu za tem pa je vstopil tudi v širši evropski in mednarodni prostor. Leta 1965 so na Pariškem Bienalu Vladimirju Veličkoviću podelili prvo nagrado za slikarstvo. Vse od tedaj je doživel še večji ugled med drugimi sočasnimi umetniki. Od leta 1966 je živel in ustvarjal v Parizu. Postal je eden ključnih umetnikov v gibanju Narrative Figuration, ki je po več letnem umiku od figuralike ponovno postavila le to v ospredje. Poleg umetnostnega delovanja je Veličković služboval tudi kot likovni pedagog. Poučeval je na École Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts. Za čas njegovega življenja je prejel številne nagrade s katerimi so se poklonili njegovi umetnosti. Imenovali so ga tudi za viteza in mu podelili Legion of Honour.
Kljub bivanju v inozemstvu je Veličković ostal povezan z domačim prostorom Svoje podobe je razstavil tako doma kot v tujini, udeležil pa se je tudi več skupinskih razstav s sočasno živečimi umetniki. Med bivanjem v domovini je sodeloval tudi z Grupo 69. Njegov opus je še danes izredno cenjen in ga hranijo najbolj ugledne institucije po Evropi.
Besedilo je za galerijo Porta Alpina pripravila Pia Župevec, dipl. um. zgod.
The text was prepared for the Porta Alpina gallery by Pia Župevec, B.Sc. art history
SOURCES/VIRI:
Katarina Ambrozić, Vladimir Veličković, Umetnost: prvi jugoslovenski časopis za likovne umetnosti i kritiku, Beograd 1965, pp. 69-72.
Vladimir Veličković, A2Z Art Gallery, https://www.a2z-art.com/artists/44-vladimir-velickovic/overview/ (11.1.2026).
Vladimir Veličković, slike crteži, kolaži 1988-2002, Beograd 2002.
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