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ALEXANDER DZIGURSKI Sr.
Serbian
(1911 - 1995)
Alexander Dzigurski was born of Serbian
parents in 1911 in Stari Becej, Yugoslavia. He received a formal education
in art at Belgrade’s School of Art and in 1936 graduated from the
Academy of Art in Munich, Germany. Upon completion of his studies in Germany,
the young artist returned to his native country and embarked on his career
in art, devoting himself primarily to portraiture and then to sacred painting.
His reputation grew and he was commissioned to decorate the interior of
seven churches. He was, however, never allowed to finish his last commission
as World War II erupted and Germany invaded his country.
After serving in World War II, Dzigurski returned home, but life under
Tito’s communist regime quickly became unbearable for the artist.
He fled to Italy where he remained for several years, painting along the
Adriatic and Mediterranean coasts and, in 1949, emigrated with his wife
and daughter to the United States.
Dzigurski then traveled the United States extensively as well as Canada
and Europe, devoting his time to painting ocean views and landscapes.
Marine paintings, though, were without a doubt his forte. A New York Times
critic once characterized Dzigurski as "poet of the sea" and
commented that "few marine painters have been able to tell the story
of the sea so beautifully. His water is wet, deep and alive"!
Be it a captivating scene of the California Coast, a majestic view of
the Grand Tetons or a panorama of the Rockies, Dzigurski’s paintings
are pure magic. The artist was unavoidably drawn to the sea, although
mountainous landscapes dramatically touched him as well – they reminded
him of happy days spent as a young artist in the Alps.
Today, the works of Alexander Dzigurski are found in many prestigious
collections, such as those of Nelson Rockefeller, Henry Ford II, and Thomas
La Follette, and are on permanent display at the Ford Museum in Detroit.
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