Summary
A sculptor born in Pučišća, especially known for his dynamic sculptures of dogs and horses. A gallery in Bol bears his name, connecting his birthplace with the island’s museum memory.
He is one of the most prominent animal sculptors in Croatian sculpture.
From Pučišća to European studios
Dešković was born in Pučišća in 1883. He studied art in Venice and, after Vienna, went to Paris in 1907, where he exhibited at the Salon. His work belongs to the European artistic movements of the early 20th century, although his island origins remained an important part of his remembrance.
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Animals caught in motion
Influenced by Rodin and Paolo Trubetskoy, he developed a style combining an impressionistically lively surface with Art Nouveau features. Hunting dogs and horses appear in a moment of movement: scratching, following a scent or resting. Notable works include ‘Pas koji se češe’ (‘Dog Scratching Itself’), ‘Pas na tragu’ (‘Dog on the Scent’) and ‘Bosanac uz konja’ (‘Bosnian with a Horse’).
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The gallery in Bol and his artistic legacy
The Galerija umjetnina Branislav Dešković (Branislav Dešković Art Gallery) in Bol bears his name and preserves works of modern Croatian art. It is a place to encounter his legacy, while his connection by birth to Pučišća is a separate part of his biography. The sculptor spent the final decades of his life away from Brač and died in Zagreb.
