EXHIBITION OF CROATIAN NAIVE ART STAGED IN FLORIDA

WASHINGTON, Feb 12 (Hina) - Works of Croatia's naive art have been put on display in the Museum of Arts in St. Petersburg, Florida. The exhibition, opened on Friday evening, includes paintings of ten best-known Croatian naive artists who established renown until 1970 - Emerik Fejes, Dragan Gazi, Ivan and Josip Generalic, Mijo Kovacic, Ivan Lackovic Croata, Ivan Rabuzin, Matija Skurjeni, Ivan Vecenaj and Mirko Virius. Present at the ceremonial opening were three of them: Josip Generalic, Mijo Kovacic and Ivan Vecenaj. On behalf of the town that hosted the show, St. Petersburg Mayor David Fisher welcomed them and about 600 guests who attended the opening. Fisher proclaimed Friday when the exhibition was staged as the Croatian Day in St. Petersburg. The head of this museum, American Croat Michael Milkovich, and the curator of the Zagreb-based Museum of Naive Art, Vladimir Crnkovic, informed visitors of the Croatian naive art and the authors whose works were shown. This cultural event in St. Petersburg has crowned two-year-long endeavours to acquaint the United States with famous works and artists of the Croatian naive art. This has been very important for the Croatian community in the United States and Canada. The exhibition in St. Petersburg will be open until 28 May. In addition, 4,000 copies of a special 180-page catalogue were printed for this occasion. (hina) ms