MERSAD BERBER (Bosnia, 1940-2012).
"Horse composition.
Mixed media on paper.
Signed in the upper right corner.
Slight damage in the lower left corner.
Measurements: 80 x 119 cm.
Mersad Berber was the most important artist to emerge from the chaos of the Balkan wars in the 1990s. Resident in Zagreb since 1992 - far from the established centres of contemporary art - he has overcome the periphery of his origin thanks to a very personal work, of exquisite technique, which has allowed him to achieve international prestige. In practical and theoretical terms, Berber declares himself to be a defender of figurative art and pictorial language. One of the aspects that is surprising when one discovers his work is his great mastery of drawing.
His paintings focus on aspects that have brought him worldwide admiration. These include elegant female portraits, based on High Renaissance prototypes, with which he challenged the 16th century masters of the Venetian school; paraphrases of Velázquez, which express his deep admiration for the great Spanish master; and paintings of horses, which recall his love for the peasant life of the Bosnian countryside. There are also some poignant and penetrating self-portraits, made shortly before his death. They give a good idea of the breadth of his cultural interests, but the frequent fragmentation of the images also makes it clear that they are the product of an extremely contemporary sensibility.
He achieved a degree of international celebrity previously unknown to any artist coming from this region of Europe, with exhibitions in London, Hamburg, Istanbul, Chicago, Abu Dhabi, Moscow, Madrid, Zurich and New York. His last major performance before his death was a major retrospective covering his entire career, held in 2009 at the CaixaForum in Barcelona.