Ivan Meštrović | Origin of Street Names

Ivan Meštrović (1883 - 1962) was a Croatian and Yugoslav sculptor and architect, and one of the most esteemed European sculptors of the 20th century.

He was the creator of dozens of magnificent monuments and sculptures throughout former Yugoslavia, among which the Belgrade Monument to the Victor and the Monument of Gratitude to France (at Kalemegdan Fortress), the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier (on Mount Avala), the Nikola Tesla Monument in Belgrade (in front of the Faculty of Electrical Engineering), the Miloš Obilić Monument (in the National Museum), the Mother of the Croats (in the Royal Complex in Dedinje), the Svetozar Miletić Monument in Novi Sad, the Nadežda Petrović Monument in Čačak, the model of the Vidovdan Temple in the Kruševac National Museum, the Njegoš Mausoleum on Lovćen, as well as numerous significant monuments and sculptures throughout former Yugoslavia, Croatia, and the United States.

Born in Slavonia in 1883, he spent his childhood in Dalmatia where, according to various biographers, while tending sheep and listening to and reading epic folk poetry, he developed a strong sense and interest in historical themes, religion, and local mythology (especially the Battle of Kosovo), which later permeated almost all of his works.

Soon after becoming an apprentice to a local stonecutter in Split, his great talent for sculpture was discovered, recommending him for sculpture studies in Vienna. Developing as an artist under the strong influence of Art Nouveau, he exhibited his monumental works with great success throughout Europe and the world, thereby gaining recognition from the state leadership and becoming the "state sculptor" in the following decades.

Numerous controversies are associated with Ivan Meštrović, and one of the biggest concerns his national affiliation and activities outside the sphere of sculptural art.

While never denying his Croatian heritage, Meštrović was one of the greatest advocates of the integral Yugoslav state (monarchy) and one of the closest friends of King Alexander I Karađorđević. However, after the assassination of the king, especially in the years following World War II, he became one of the most influential spokespersons for the Croatian national question and the creation of an independent Croatian state.

Living and working in the United States as an emigrant professor and explicitly refusing to return to communist Yugoslavia (although he was never labeled as an enemy of the people by the communists), he passed away in America in 1962. His remains were transferred to Croatia and buried in a mausoleum in the Dalmatian village of Otavice, which Meštrović had designed himself during his lifetime.

Today, the name of Ivan Meštrović, undoubtedly the greatest sculptor in this region in the 20th century, is carried by streets in Belgrade, Kragujevac, Vranje, Smederevo, Zrenjanin, Subotica, Kraljevo, Sjenica, Bačka Topola, and the villages of Klupci and Svetozar Miletić.