Dimitrije Bašičević / Ivan Generalic - Ivan Generalic [with original drawing, signed and dated] - 1962

BASICEVIC, Dimitrije.
IVAN GENERALIC. Zagreb: Vinko Zlamalik, [1962].
Large 4to, grey bradel boards, cloth spine, under original rodhoïd jacket.

First monograph devoted to the Croatian master of the Hlebine School, Ivan Generalić (1914–1992), richly illustrated throughout with numerous black-and-white and colour reproductions of his works.

This copy is uniquely enriched with a superb, full-page ORIGINAL DRAWING by Ivan Generalić, executed in black ink and signed & dated “I. Generalić 2/V/1965”.
The drawing depicts a complete rural scene characteristic of the artist’s early mature style:
a standing bull, a prominent rooster perched on a tree stump, a traditional village house with smoking chimney, pond with ducks, and surrounding foliage — all rendered with Generalić’s unmistakable naïve precision and lyricism.

On the facing page, the artist has added a full autograph dedication in blue ink, written in Croatian: a personal inscription to his friend dr. Essellier, which confirms the private and intimate provenance of this enhanced example.

A remarkable association copy, far superior to the standard edition, combining the monograph with a museum-quality original drawing and a historically relevant dedication.

Short Professional Biography – Ivan Generalić (1914–1992)

Ivan Generalić was a Croatian painter and one of the central figures of the Hlebine School, the most important naïve art movement in Southeast Europe. Born in the village of Hlebine, Generalić developed a highly recognizable style characterized by precise line work, poetic rural motifs, and a distinctive reverse-glass painting technique.
He debuted in 1931 and quickly became the leading representative of Yugoslav naïve art, exhibiting internationally from the 1950s onward. His works depict the life, rituals and landscapes of the Podravina region, often infused with subtle social commentary and a lyrical, symbolic atmosphere.
Generalić’s mastery of glass painting (slikanje na staklu)—a demanding technique where the artist paints in reverse on the back of a glass sheet—earned him major acclaim, and many of his pieces are today held in museums and prominent private collections worldwide.

Throughout his career he remained deeply connected to his roots, transforming everyday rural scenes into iconic, dreamlike compositions.

A unique and highly desirable Generalić item.
Snet traked and insured