The Most Famous
PAINTERS from Slovenia
Top 6
The following people are considered by Pantheon to be the most legendary Slovene Painters of all time. This list of famous Slovene Painters is sorted by HPI (Historical Popularity Index), a metric that aggregates information on a biography’s online popularity.
1. Anton Ažbe (1862 - 1905)
With an HPI of 57.72, Anton Ažbe is the most famous Slovene Painter. His biography has been translated into 29 different languages on wikipedia.
Anton Ažbe (30 May 1862 – 5 or 6 August 1905) was a Slovene realist painter and teacher of painting. Ažbe, crippled since birth and orphaned at the age of eight, learned painting as an apprentice to Janez Wolf and at the Academies in Vienna and Munich. At the age of 30, Ažbe founded his own school of painting in Munich that became a popular attraction for Eastern European students. Ažbe trained the "big four" Slovenian impressionists (Rihard Jakopič, Ivan Grohar, Matej Sternen, Matija Jama), a whole generation of Russian painters (Ivan Bilibin, Mstislav Dobuzhinsky, Igor Grabar, Wassily Kandinsky, Dmitry Kardovsky and Kuzma Petrov-Vodkin, to name a few), Serbian painters Nadežda Petrović, Beta Vukanović, Ljubomir Ivanović, Borivoje Stevanović, Kosta Miličević, and Milan Milovanović or a Czech painter Ludvik Kuba. Ažbe's training methods were adopted by Beta and Rista Vukanović when they took over Kiril Kutlik's atelier and school and by Russian artists both at home (Grabar, Kardovsky) and in emigration (Bilibin, Dobuzhinsky). Ažbe's own undisputed artistic legacy is limited to twenty-six graphic works, including classroom studies, most of them at the National Gallery of Slovenia. His long-planned masterpieces never materialized and, according to Peter Selz, he "never came into his own as an artist". His enigmatic personality blended together alcoholism, chain smoking, bitter loneliness, minimalistic simple living in private, and eccentric behaviour in public. A public scarecrow and a bohemian socialite, Ažbe protected his personal secrets till the end, a mystery even to his students and fellow teachers. The public transformed the circumstances of his untimely death from cancer into an urban legend.
2. Ivana Kobilca (1861 - 1926)
With an HPI of 54.74, Ivana Kobilca is the 2nd most famous Slovene Painter. Her biography has been translated into 28 different languages.
Ivana Kobilca (20 December 1861 – 4 December 1926) was a Slovene painter, and is considered the most prominent female painter and a key figure of Slovene cultural identity. She was a realist painter who studied and worked in Vienna, Munich, Paris, Sarajevo, Berlin, and Ljubljana. She mostly painted oil paintings and pastels, whereas her drawings are few. The themes include still life, portraits, genre works, allegories, and religious scenes. She was a controversial person, criticized for following movements that had not developed further in later periods.
3. Anton Janša (1734 - 1773)
With an HPI of 54.32, Anton Janša is the 3rd most famous Slovene Painter. His biography has been translated into 18 different languages.
Anton Janša (c. 20 May 1734 – 13 September 1773) was a Carniolan apiarist and painter. Janša is known as a pioneer of modern apiculture and a great expert in the field. He was educated as a painter, but was employed as a teacher of apiculture at the Habsburg court in Vienna.
4. Zoran Mušič (1909 - 2005)
With an HPI of 53.13, Zoran Mušič is the 4th most famous Slovene Painter. His biography has been translated into 15 different languages.
Zoran Mušič (12 February 1909 – 25 May 2005), baptised as Anton Zoran Musič, was a Slovene painter, printmaker, and draughtsman. He was the only painter of Slovene descent who managed to establish himself in the elite cultural circles of Italy and France, particularly Paris in the second half of the 20th century, where he lived for most of his later life. He painted landscapes, still lifes, portraits, and self-portraits, as well as scenes of horror from the Dachau concentration camp and vedute of Venice.
5. Ivan Grohar (1867 - 1911)
With an HPI of 50.40, Ivan Grohar is the 5th most famous Slovene Painter. His biography has been translated into 21 different languages.
Ivan Grohar (15 June 1867 – 19 April 1911) was a Slovene Impressionist painter. Together with Rihard Jakopič, Matej Sternen, and Matija Jama, he is considered one of the leading figures of Slovene impressionism in the fin de siecle period. He is known by his landscapes and portraits. He was also an established guitarist and singer.
6. Rihard Jakopič (1869 - 1943)
With an HPI of 49.66, Rihard Jakopič is the 6th most famous Slovene Painter. His biography has been translated into 19 different languages.
Rihard Jakopič (12 April 1869 – 21 April 1943) was a Slovene painter. He was the leading Slovene Impressionist painter, patron of arts and theoretician. Together with Matej Sternen, Matija Jama and Ivan Grohar, he is considered the pioneer of Slovene Impressionist painting.
People
Pantheon has 6 people classified as Slovene painters born between 1734 and 1909. Of these 6, none of them are still alive today. The most famous deceased Slovene painters include Anton Ažbe, Ivana Kobilca, and Anton Janša. As of April 2024, 1 new Slovene painters have been added to Pantheon including Zoran Mušič.
Deceased Slovene Painters
Go to all Rankings
Anton Ažbe
1862 - 1905
HPI: 57.72
Ivana Kobilca
1861 - 1926
HPI: 54.74
Anton Janša
1734 - 1773
HPI: 54.32
Zoran Mušič
1909 - 2005
HPI: 53.13
Ivan Grohar
1867 - 1911
HPI: 50.40
Rihard Jakopič
1869 - 1943
HPI: 49.66
Newly Added Slovene Painters (2024)
Go to all RankingsOverlapping Lives
Which Painters were alive at the same time? This visualization shows the lifespans of the 6 most globally memorable Painters since 1700.
