IZLOŽBENI PROGRAM UMJETNIČKOGA SALONA GALIĆ U VRIJEME PORAĆA (1945. – 1949.)
EXHIBITION PROGRAM OF THE GALIĆ ART SALON DURING THE POST-WAR PERIOD (1945–1949)

Summary/Abstract: The Galić Art Salon was formally opened in 1924 as a private initiative by the craftsman Ivan Galić (1884–1961). Following a purchase agreement in 1961, it transitioned to the ownership of the city and municipality of Split. Subsequently, it was entrusted to ULUH’s Subsidiary for Dalmatia, remaining under the auspices of this art association and its legal successors to the present day. Scholarly attention to the exhibition programme during the formative post-war years has received relatively little focus. Through a meticulous examination of the chronological sequence of exhibitions and their analytical scrutiny, as presented for the first time in this paper, the Galić Art Salon emerges as a dynamically vibrant exhibition space, even in the immediate aftermath of the war. In addition to the predominantly artist and culture-led visual exhibitions, including those organized by the cultural-artistic group Ivan Lozica, ULUH’s Subsidiary for Dalmatia, the Society for the Cultural Cooperation of the People’s Republic of Croatia, and the USSR, a diverse range of other thematic exhibitions emerged. These exhibitions celebrated the People’s Liberation Struggle and addressed themes pertinent to state reconstruction, security, and the construction of a new socialist order. These thematic exhibitions were organized by numerous non-artistic organizations and associations. Furthermore, it is note worthy that virtually all artistic events were integral components of broader conceptualized manifestations and festivals, thereby fostering a stronger cohesion among all sectors of labour and activity, their interweaving, and ultimately their collective participation in the construction of a new socialist society. Moreover, the focus is exclusively on collective exhibitions, with significant emphasis placed on acquiring artworks for museum and other public collections. It was not until 1949 that an exhibition featuring a solo artist appeared, albeit as part of a broader festival manifestation. All of this demonstrates the symptoms of the times, which, at least concerning new orientations in art and a stronger reconstruction and consolidation of the modernist visual discourse, would undergo a profound transformation in the ensuing decade.

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