3472 - MUSIC, ZORAN ANTONIO (Gorizia 1909 – 2005 Venice): "Motivo dalmata"

MUSIC, ZORAN ANTONIO (Gorizia 1909 – 2005 Venice): "Motivo dalmata" Oil on hardboard Signed and dated 1950 at the bottom center; titled on the reverse 32 x 24.5 cm, framed Zoran Music was a prominent Slovenian-Italian painter whose body of work was shaped by the landscapes of the Mediterranean region and his experiences during World War II. The artist was born in Gorizia, in the Julian region—a city that is now part of Italy but was then still part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. After studying at the Academy of Fine Arts in Zagreb, he traveled through the region of his extended homeland, Dalmatia, and Italy. These travels had a lasting influence on his visual language: Music’s work is characterized by simplified forms, earthy colors, and an atmosphere reminiscent of a still life, as if suspended in time. This work, too, depicts a typical “Dalmatian motif” that the artist repeatedly revisited in varying forms. The painting depicts two donkey riders seen from behind; in rocky Dalmatia, they were a far more common sight in the landscape than horse riders. The two donkey riders are less abstracted than the surrounding landscape, which the painter deliberately reduced to simple and evocative planes. The work was created just a few years after Music’s deportation by the Nazis in 1944 to the Dachau concentration camp. This deeply traumatic experience is reflected in the somber color palette of his oeuvre and is also evident in this work. Auction time: November 6, 2026, 2:45 p.m.