Vlaho Bukovac (1855-1922)

Vlaho Bukovac was a Croatian painter. His life and work were eclectic, for the artist pursued his career in a variety of locales and his style changed greatly over the course of that career.

He is probably best known for his 1887 nude Une fleur (A Flower), which he created during his French period and which received attention in various reviews and publications during his lifetime. 

Bukovac received his artistic education in Paris where he was sent by the patron (Knez) Medo Pucić. His small studies and sketches delighted his professor, the well-known Alexandre Cabanel, and Bukovac became a student at the prestigious École des Beaux-Arts. 

Bukovac began his career in France. He painted in a “sugary” realistic style, his fashionable paintings achieved great success at the Paris Salon. During his sojourn in France, he travelled to England and the coast of Dalmatia, where he was born. Bukovac became a significant representative of fine arts in Zagreb, Croatia from 1893-97, bringing with him the spirit of French art.