Ivan Rendić

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Ivan Rendić (born in Imotski, August 27, 1849 - died June 29, 1932) was a Croatian sculptor.

He began sculpting early on in life, thanks to the stoneworking tradition of the island of Brač, where he was raised. He finished arts school in Venice in 1871 and afterwards became a part of the Fioretine sculpting atelier. Afterwards he mostly lived and worked in Triest where he made the bulk of his works. In Croatia, most of his works were displayed in Zagreb and Split.

He was the first famous and educated Croatian sculptor. He worked in the Realist style with elements of naturalism, especially in finer details. Rendić made around 200 statues. His most famous works were public monuments raised in honour of famous Croats which remain over all parts of Croatia. For example, his statues of Andrija Medulić, Juraj Julije Klović, Fran Krsto Frankopan, Ivan Gundulić, Nikola Jurišić and August Šenoa at Zrinjevac park in Zagreb, as well as of Petar Preradović, Andrija Kačić Miošić also in Zagreb, and of Ljudevit Gaj in Krapina.

From 1921 he lived in Supetar, where he attempted in vain to form a school of arts. He finished his life in poverty.

Because of its support to Croatian renaissance movement and unification of Dalmatia with the rest of Croatia, he was the target of attacks of Italianists and Italian expansionists, especially during his work in Triest.