The Mayor of St. Petersburg, Mr. Rick Baker, cut the ribbon and formally opened Jim and Donna Nannen's Croatian Naive Art Gallery in downtown St. Petersburg, Florida.
The Mayor of St. Petersburg, Mr. Rick Baker, cut the ribbon and formally opened Jim and Donna Nannen's Croatian Naive Art Gallery in downtown St. Petersburg, Florida.
One of the most renowned Croatian naive art painters of younger generation, Ivica Fišter, attended the opening of the Gallery to showcase his most recent works. The Croatian Naive Art Gallery is across the street from both the Tampa Bay and St. Petersburg Fine Arts Museum. Sandra štetic, the First Secretary of the Croatian Embassy in Washington DC attended the event, adding a diplomatic flare to the opening ceremony. The idea to create such a gallery was generated from the idea of “Niche” Art, the premise being that there are many countries in the world that have recently freed themselves from the constrains of totalitarian rule, and that one of the best ways for these new nations to express themselves is through their own distinctive art form. Interestingly, when it comes to Croatia, most of naive artists come from the northern region of Podravina and many from a particular village of Hlebine. Today there are close to 100 Croatian naive artists who create their art of reverse oil painting on glass which is original Croatian technique.
Most of those purchased paintings eventually find their home in either the United States or Japan. The prices can range from anywhere between $295 up to $10,000, with the majority falling between $2,000 to $3,000. For those who cannot make the trip to St. Petersburg, the paintings may be viewed and purchased online at www.CroatianNaiveArt.com
Croatian Naive Art Gallery in St. Petersburg is the largest private collection showing and selling exclusively Croatian naive art.
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