Ivan Rabuzin (1921 – 2008) is one of the classics of the naive movement and one of the most eminent lyric painters of the 20th century. He was born in Ključ in 1921, near Novi Marof, Croatia. By trade a carpenter he moved to the capital Zagreb in 1947 where he trained as a carpenter’s apprentice. During that time he frequented art classes where he discovered his love for painting. He holds his first independent exhibition in 1956. In 1963 at the Mona Lisa Gallery Ivan Rabuzin makes his entry on the world stage of contemporary arts. From then on his work was displayed in major cities the world over including Paris, New York, Tokyo, Sao Paolo, Milan, Amsterdam, Zurich and Florence, to name a few. In 1976 Rabuzin is engaged by the world-famous producer of fine porcelain Rosenthal to decorate the line “Art at table”. Rabuzin’s Work has made its way into numerous private collections and world renowned museums. He is one of the rare artists to have his Work displayed at the Museo Vaticano in the Vatican. Rabuzin has made his mark on the world of contemporary art and he has defined his own style among the naive painters of the 20th century referred to as “peindre a la Rabuzin”. He paints the vision of an eternal spring, untouched, heavenly nature and light with gentle pastel colors and poetic compositions that become a vision of Heaven on Earth.
