1 t/m 26 juni 2022

Tentoonstelling met schilderijen, tekeningen, grafiek en posters van Melita Vovk (1928-2020) (Lange Zaal en Hoge Zaal)

Opening: zaterdag 4 juni 16.00 uur

melita vovk

Melita Vovk (1928-2020) was van 1985 tot kort voor haar dood lid van de Haagse Kunstkring. Zij was als decorontwerper werkend lid van de afdeling Letteren, Theater en Film. Ze was dus bijna 35 jaar lid en toch zullen er weinig Kunstkringleden zijn die haar kennen. Ze trad niet zo voor het voetlicht; dat lag niet in haar karakter. Het had misschien  ook te maken met het feit dat ze afwisselend in Nederland en in Slovenië woonde. In haar geboorteland heeft zij grote faam verworven als illustrator van kinderboeken.

Melita Vovk studeerde in 1951 af in de richting schilderen aan de Academie voor Schone Kunsten in Ljubljana. Ze specialiseerde zich in grafische kunsten en het ontwerpen van decors en kostuums. Ze werkte aan meer dan 50 theaterproducties mee en werd daarvoor in haar moederland bekroond met prijzen. Ook schilderde ze portretten van schrijvers die in het Sloveense Bled bijeenkwamen voor de internationale ontmoeting PEN.

Toch was illustreren haar belangrijkste werk. Melita Vovk illustreerde meer dan 80 boeken en tijdschriften. Ook daar won ze prijzen voor en in 2008 werd ze benoemd tot ereburger van Bled.

Ze had al op jonge leeftijd iets met Nederland. Kort na haar afstuderen, in 1952, kwam ze in haar eentje uit het naoorlogse socialistische Joegoslavië naar ons land. Ze wilde haar artistieke blik in het westen verbreden.Later trouwde ze met de Nederlandse schilder Roelof Frankot (1911-1984). Het is dankzij de enthousiaste medewerking van de Sloveense ambassade dat wij nu kennis kunnen nemen van het werk van deze bijzondere, veelzijdige kunstenares.

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MELITA VOVK, a fine artist from Slovenia

Born on June 14, 1928 in Bled, Slovenia, which was at the time part of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes.

In 1951 Vovk graduated in painting as a student of the first postwar generation at the Academy of Fine Arts (today: the Academy of Fine Arts and Design, University of Ljubljana). In the years 1951–1953 she pursued a specialisation course in graphic arts under Božidar Jakac (3 terms) and earned her graphics degree in 1972 from Riko Debenjak. First, she got a job as a teacher at the lower grammar school in Bled (1953–1956). Soon she began to work as a freelance artist (1957–1973). Later, she was appointed senior scenography lecturer at the Slovenian Academy of Theatre, Radio, Film and Television (1974–1977) but she returned to freelancing again and was self-employed until she retired in 1984.

In 1957 Vovk married the writer Bojan Štih (1923-1986) but the marriage ended in a divorce in 1975. Their daughter, Marija ‘Ejti’ Štih, is also a painter. From 1979 to 1984 Vovk was married to Dutch painter Roelof Frankot (1911–1984) and spent most of her time living in the Netherlands.

Vovk’s interests included painting, graphic arts, drawing, illustration, and caricature. After 1956 her artistic focus shifted towards scenography and costume design, and she produced drafts for over 50 theatre performances. In 1974 she was awarded the Borštnik Diploma for her contributions to costume design and in 1977 she received the Borštnik Diploma for scenography. However, the central point of her work was illustration. Melita Vovk illustrated over 80 monographs, and published illustrations for literary sequels in periodic publications. She earned the Levstik Award twice (1957, 1964), the ‘Mlado pokoljenje’ Award (Belgrade, 1965), and was awarded the Hinko Smrekar Lifetime Achievement Award at the 9th Slovenian Biennial of Illustration (2010). She painted the portraits of many famous writers as they came to Bled for International writers’ Meetings (PEN). Melita Vovk authored several entertaining travel accounts which she also illustrated with drawings. She also wrote professional articles about selected professional issues, as well as memoir notes.

On Bled Municipal Holiday in 2008, she was named the honorary citizen of the Municipality of Bled.

She was always drawn to the Netherlands. In 1952, just after graduating from the Academy, she went on a solo trip from the post-war socialist Yugoslavia to the west in order to widen her artistic horizons. In the Nerthelands she made friends that she kept for life. Vovk was a member of the De Haagse Kunstkring (The Hague Art Circle).

Melita Vovk died on July 22, 2020 in Radovljica, Slovenia.