Marko Murat

Marko Murat (December 30, 1864 – October 14, 1944) was an ethnic Serbian painter. His works were exhibited at the 1900 World's Fair in Paris and the 1911 World's Fair in Rome.

The manuscript of his unfinished autobiography was lost after his death and found only recently; it presents a rare description of everyday life in Dubrovnik in the 1860s and 1870s.

Life and Work

After finishing primary school in Dubrovnik in 1883, Marko Murat attended and graduated theology in Zadar. In 1886. he left to Munich to study at the Art Academy. After graduation in 1893, he went to Rome and Paris. In 1898 he finally settled in Belgrade, where he was employed at the Second Belgrade Gymnasium and at the Art&Craft school. At some point, he was also a drawing teacher of Royal Prince Aleksandar Karadjordjevic of Serbia.

In the year 1900, Marko Murat was a representative of Serbia at the World Fair, where he won the bronze card for his artwork - The Arrival of Tzar Dushan of Serbia to Dubrovnik.

During the World War One, he was in Dubrovnik, where Austrian authorities harassed him, which led to his arrest. After the war, Marko Murat had a major role as an art conservator in Dubrovnik, from 1919 to 1932.

In 1920. he became a honorary member of Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts, and from 1940. he was a regular member.

Marko Murat was one of the first impressionists in South Slavs region. Landscapes, portraits and historical compositions were his trademark. His works were exposed at almost every relevant exhibition in Yugoslavia and abroad, in Sofia, Munich, Paris, Rome, Wien and London.

Sources

Biography at the Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts site (Serbian) Short biography (Serbian)