Braco Dimitrijević

Slobodan "Braco" Dimitrijević is a Bosnian conceptual artist whose work primarily explores themes of history and the individual's role within it.

Biography of Braco Dimitrijević

Braco Dimitrijević was born in 1948 in Sarajevo in Bosnia and Herzegovina. His father, Vojo Dimitrijević, was one of Yugoslavia's most renowned modern artists. Following in his footsteps, he began painting at the age of five.

At the age of 10, he held his first solo exhibition. In 1963, he created his first conceptual piece, "The Flag of the World," where he replaced a national flag with an alternative symbol. This work marked the beginning of his artistic interventions in urban landscapes.

The young talent studied at the Academy of Fine Arts in Zagreb, graduating in 1971, and then pursued further studies at Saint Martin's School of Art in London from 1971 to 1973.

In the 1970s, Dimitrijević gained recognition with his "Casual Passer-by" series. This series showcased gigantic photo portraits of anonymous individuals displayed on prominent facades and billboards in cities across Europe and America. Additionally, the artist emulated traditional methods of glorifying notable figures by constructing monuments to passers-by and installing memorial plaques in honor of ordinary citizens.

In the mid-seventies, he began incorporating original paintings borrowed from museum collections into his installations. By the early 1980s, Braco Dimitrijević was creating installations where wild animals interacted with artifacts and works of art, merging the Western cultural model with those of other cultures that live in closer harmony with nature. In 1998, he held solo exhibitions at the Paris Zoo, featuring installations in the enclosures of lions, tigers, crocodiles, camels, and bison. The exhibition attracted an audience of one million people.

Throughout the past four decades, Dimitrijević has showcased his work extensively across the globe. Resent solo shows include "Braco Dimitrijević: Traveling to Post History" at Galerie M77 in Milan (2019), "From Stone to Video" at Museum of Fine Art in Split (2018), "Braco Dimitrijević. Retrospektiva" at Museum of Contemporary Art in Zagreb (2017), and many more. 

Additionally, Braco Dimitrijević's works have been featured in significant group exhibitions including Documenta 5, Documenta 6, and Documenta 9 in Kassel, as well as multiple editions of the Venice Biennale, Sao Paulo Biennale, Sydney Biennale, and Santa Fe Biennale. Other group shows include "Wer nicht denken will, fliegt raus" at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Zagreb (2021), "100 Artists in the City" at La Panacée in Montpellier (2019), "A Luta Continua: The Perlstein Collection" at Hauser & Wirth in New York (2018), among others. 

Currently, the artist lives and works in Paris, France.