Biography

Born in Sisak, Croatia in 1916, Želimir Janeš was one of Croatia's great sculptors while also being considered one of region's most important medalists creators. He was trained in sculpting at the Academy of Fine Arts in Zagreb, where he studied under renowned Croatian sculptors Frano Kršinić and Ivan Mestrović. After graduating in 1941, he apprenticed with a number of different sculptors for the next ten years, aiding in the production of their sculptural creations while also focusing in on refining his own personal style. While concentrating on stone sculpture and bronze medal making, he also experimented with plastics, clock making, jewelry and incrustations. Over his career, he put on over 20 solo exhibitions. Much of his work revolves around combining unlike materials and textures into unique visual combinations while extending the boundary of sculpture and medal making into a single discipline. In 1956, he settled into a teaching position at the Zagreb School of Applied Arts. Janeš received numerous awards during his life, not only for his sculpture and medal making, but also his passionate teaching. However, he is most often remembered for the grand WWII Partisan monument he created in the Brezovica Forest outside of his hometown of Sisak, which he titled 'Thick Elm'. In 1988 he was given the "Vladimir Nazor" Award for lifetime achievement. He passed away in Zagreb in 1996 at the age of 79.