ZAGREB, Sept 9 (Hina) - France's Ambassador to Croatia, Jean-Jacques Gaillarde, on Thursday evening conferred on a Croatian painter, Ivan Picelj, a high French decoration for his contribution to culture.
ZAGREB, Sept 9 (Hina) - France's Ambassador to Croatia, Jean-
Jacques Gaillarde, on Thursday evening conferred on a Croatian
painter, Ivan Picelj, a high French decoration for his contribution
to culture.#L#
This decoration is presented to eminent artists and writers and to
those who have contributed to the promotion of culture in France and
the world, said the French Ambassador during the ceremony held in
his residence in Zagreb.
Picelj's first exhibition was in Paris in 1952, Ambassador
Gaillarde said adding that Picelj was also the first artist from the
then Yugoslavia to have an exhibition in Paris without support of
that country. At that time Picelj started a successful cooperation
with the Paris-based gallery Denis Rene that has helped him to
display his works in 27 group shows and four one-man exhibitions in
France to date.
This French decoration has this year been conferred on a Croatian
writer, Zeljka Corak, the head of the "Ceres" publishing house
Dragutin Dumancic, a professor at Zagreb Film Academy, Ivan Galeta,
the editor of the "Most" literature magazine, Drazen Katunaric and
a singer, Tereza Kesovija.
(hina) ms