France Mihelič
France Mihelič (27 April 1907 – 1 August 1998) was a Slovene painter, one of the key figures in Slovene painting in the second half of the 20th century, known for his surrealist figurative paintings and prints.[1]
France Mihelič | |
|---|---|
 France Mihelič in 1965 | |
| Born | 27 April 1907 Virmaše, Slovenia |
| Died | 1 August 1998 (aged 91) Ljubljana, Slovenia |
| Nationality | Slovenian |
| Education | Academy of Fine Arts, Zagreb |
| Known for | Painting and illustrating |
| Notable work | Painting and illustration |
| Awards | Prešeren Award 1949 for the paintings Kolona v snegu and Vaška ječa Levstik Award 1949 for Solzice Levstik Award 1951 for Najdihojca Levstik Award 1952 for Pestrna Prešeren Award 1955 for his graphic opus Levstik Award 1956 for Štirje letni časi Prešeren Award 1965 for the set and puppets for Sinja Ptica Jakopič Award 1978 for his lifetime achievement |
Mihelič was born in Virmaše near Škofja Loka in 1907. He studied art at the Zagreb Academy of Fine Arts between 1927 and 1931. He received the Prešeren Award three times, in 1949 for his paintings Kolona v snegu and Vaška ječa, in 1955 for his graphic opus and in 1965 for the set and puppets for a puppet performance of Sinja ptica (Bluebird) staged in 1964 at the Ljubljana Puppet Theatre.[2]
He won the Levstik Award for his book illustrations four times: in 1949 for his illustrations of Prežihov Voranc's book Solzice (Lillies of the Valley), in 1951 for Fran Levstik's Najdihojca, in 1952 for France Bevk's Pestrna (Child Minder) and in 1956 for Mira Mihelič's Štirje letni časi (The Four Seasons).[3]
In 1978 he also won the Jakopič Award for his life achievement in painting.
He was married to the writer and translator Mira Mihelič.
References
- Towards Zero Gravity, Museum of Modern Art, Ljubljana
- Slovenian Ministry of Culture, complete list of the Grand Prešeren Awards recipients 1947–2012 Archived 4 March 2016 at the Wayback Machine (in Slovene)
- "The Levstik Award on the Mladinska Knjiga Publishing House site". Mladinska.com. Archived from the original on 26 August 2018. Retrieved 22 January 2014.