• Skip to main content

Ljuba Popović

Surrealist Painter

Hide Search

Main Content

About

Ljuba Popović was a Bosnian-born French surrealist painter. He was renowned for his many erotic and unconventionally juxtaposed subject matters.

Born in Tuzla, Bosnia, Popović studied Fine Arts in Belgrade. During a visit to Paris, he was impressed by the discovery of 1959 exhibition of surrealist art from the Urvater collection. In 1960, he founded the movement “Mediala” meaning ‘Honey and Dragon’, to express concepts of desire and fear. Popović arrived in Paris in 1963 and was immediately taken in by French gallerists and surrealists. Living in Paris and supported by the Thessa Herold’s gallery, he painted fantastical scenes, full of disturbing and desirable creatures, reminiscent of Dali’s work, according to a Mandiargues‘s review in 1970. Inspired by Renaissance and Baroque painting, as well as his grandfather’s exorcisms, Popović’s works deal with the demons of a dark pessimism.

He is the subject of the short documentary film L’amour monstre de tous les temps (1978) by Walerian Borowczyk.

ljubomir popovic ljuba - painting 11
ljubomir popovic ljuba - painting 10
ljubomir popovic ljuba - painting 9
ljubomir popovic ljuba - painting 8
ljubomir popovic ljuba - painting 7
ljubomir popovic ljuba - painting 6
ljubomir popovic ljuba - painting 5
ljubomir popovic ljuba - painting 3
ljubomir popovic ljuba - painting 2
ljubomir popovic ljuba - painting 1
Ljubomir Ljuba Popovic - 19
Ljubomir Ljuba Popovic - 18
Divination ou Hommage à Arthur Clarke (1968-1969) 200x300
L'Ecroulement (2005-2006) 230x200
Hara-Kiri Hommage à Mishima/L'étouffement (1983) 200x300
La Blancheur du mois d'Août (2005) 220x200
Face aux Ténèbres (2004) 235x200
L'Hiérodule (1971) 260x200
Les Dieux Eux-Mêmes (1974) 73x60
Hommage à Füssli (1981) 146x101,50
Les Conversations Artistiques sous la Tempête (2007) 89x116
Les Mâts du Bateau Invisible (2006) 130x162
Alice (2004) 160x130
Les Enfants de l'Enfer (1987) 130x195
La Lionne (1985) 150x230
La Chancelière (1967) 33x35
Les jeux, l'Amour et la Mort(1971-1972) 200x130
Pierre de pluie (1972) 100x81
Naissance de l'Homme Cosmique ( 1971-1972) 210x280

Ljuba Popović (1934) is a Bosnian born surrealist painter living in Paris, France. Ljuba studied Fine Arts in Belgrade. His style and entire outlook on art was changed irrevocably in 1959 when he visited a surrealist art exposition from the Urvater collection.

He was inspired to start his own art movement which he dubbed ‘Mediala’, meaning ‘Honey and Dragon’. His paintings, for him, are all about the mixing of desire and fear. They’re pretty creepy, but sort of warm at the same time.

Ljuba takes his inspiration from early Baroque painting, the surrealists of course and strangely, his grandfather’s history of exorcisms. His grandfather was a priest in a remote Bosnian village and was known by locals as “The Devil”. Right… I see… that explains some of the darkness in these paintings doesn’t it…

— Lazerhorse

Copyright © 2023 · Site maintained by SurrealismToday.com

 

Loading Comments...