Exhibition in Wienna: Ambassador Milan Ramljak, art – critic Josip Depolo, former Prime Minister dr. Ivo Sanader and Ratko Vince

The first major exhibition was held in Vienna in 1995 at the Palais Palfy, and was opened by the former Croatian Prime Minister, Ivo Sanader; in 1996 the Amalteja Company published its most significant work, and the only monograph to date on the phenomenon known as authentic Croatian (naive) art, entitled The Miracle of the Croatian Naive Art, and produced in Croatian (3,000 copies), in English (3,000 copies), in German (2,000 copies), and Italian (2,000 copies).

The preface was written by the first President of the Republic of Croatian, and father of the homeland, Dr Franjo Tuđman. The monograph soon became a protocol present of the Republic of Croatia, and has been gifted to Bill Clinton, Madelaine Albright, Jacques Chirac, Vaclav Havel, Kofi Annan, Rainer of Monaco, and many other ministers of culture worldwide. Many renowned intellectuals around the world (like Umberto Eco, Claudio Magris and Carlo Sgorlon) have also received the monograph.

In 1996 the Amalteja Company opened The World Center – The Miracle of the Croatian Naive Art Gallery on Trg Bana Jelačića, the main square in Zagreb, the Croatian capital, which existed until 2000.

First Croatian President of Republic dr. Franjo Tuđman in conversation with our general manager Ratko Vince in the gallery World center – The Miracle of Croatian Naive Art on the main square, Square of Josip Jelačić	Entrance of Gallery The World center – The Miracle of Croatian Naive Art on Jelaèić Square in Zagreb

The next large exhibition abroad was organised in Chicago, USA (1997) and became the First American Center of Croatian Art. Apart from presenting Croatian naive art at the Center, Amalteja also presented the Croatian Academy of Fine Arts, Zagreb University Library, Školska knjiga Publishing House, the Zagreb-film Studio, and other important Croatian cultural institutions. The Center was opened by the Croatian ambassador to the USA, Miomir Žužul.

Panorama of Chicago	Interior of „The First American Center of Croatian Art” in Chicago

In the same year, the First World Day of Croatian Naive Art were held on 13 September in an abandoned manor in Gornja rijeka near Križevci, in the Kalnik region. The president of the Croatian parliament, and all major naive artists, including Ivan Rabuzin and Ivan Lacković-Croata, were present, as well as Vladimir Crnković, the current director of the Croatian Museum of Naive Art. The aim of the exhibition was to auction off artworks for the manor to be renovated into an elite hotel in which every apartment would be designed and decorated in the style of a particular major naive artist.

The exhibition in Bonn: current President of Croatian Parliament Vladimir Šeks, the then vicepresident of Croatian Parliament Žarko Domjan and President of the then European Parliament of the Council of Europe Mrs. Leni Fischer

The Castle in Gornja Rijeka	President of Croatian State Parliament academic Vlatko Pavletić, Ratko Vince and Authorities of Koprivničko-križevačka županija on the Grand Opening of the Reconstruction of Castle into Hotel – museum The Miracle of Croatian Naive Art and on the First World day of Croatian Naive art, September, 13th 1998.

In 1998 Amalteja organised the big exhibition in Tolmezzo, in Italy in old Palazzo Frisacco. In the newspapar Messagero , in April 7th great Italian writer, candidate for Nobel price, Carlo Sgorlon wrote a wonderful essay about Croatian naive art.

Exhibition in Palazzo Frisacco	Great Italian writer Carlo Sgorlon with his vife

In 1998 Amalteja organised the completion of a gift to the Holy Father, Pope John Paul II on the occasion of his second pastoral visit to Croatia. The gift was a cross, three metres in height and inlaid with artwork on glass representing the 15 Stations of the Cross, which was displayed on Kaptol next to the small stage from which the Holy Father addressed the Croatian nation.

„Vukovar Cross”	The Holy Father John Paul II goes on the stage infront Kaptol near Vukovar Cross.

The cross later travelled to Rome and was exhibited all over Italy; however, it was the Holy Father’s wish that the cross be donated to one of the martyred Croatian cities – Vukovar or Dubrovnik, and so the cross is now a permanent exhibit at the gallery of the Dominican monastery in Dubrovnik.

Ratko Vince spokes on the Grand Opening in Sponza Palace	Great American actor John Malkovich on the exhibition in Sponza Palace on Dubrovnik Summer Festival

The exhibition was visited by many dignitaries, among others by the Israeli President, the Croatian President and various ministers of culture; the most popular visitor, however, was American actor John Malkovich. The exhibition was opened by Dr Ivica Prlender, the director of the Dubrovnik Summer Festival, and Josip Generalić, son of Ivan Generalić.

Since then, the Amalteja Company, and the new „Original Accent on Croatia Gallery”, run by the company has its head office in Dubrovnik by the entrance to the Dominican monastery.

In 2004 Amalteja nova began publishing monographs in Bibliotheca of Authentic Croatian Art – New Generation editions. The first in a series of monographs was a monograph on the artist Nada Švegović-Budaj. The monograph was promoted in Knežev dvor, in Dubrovnik, alongside an exhibition of works by the same author entitled „Religion and Mythology in the Works of Nada Švegović-Budaj”. A second monograph on the young artist Biserka Zlatar was published in the same edition in 2005.

Monograph book about Biserka Zlatar	A monograph book about Nada Švegović-Budaj

Activities this year are focused on creating a pleasant atmosphere within the gallery in Dubrovnik; in addition, preparations are underway for the exhibitions in Yokohama, Japan and St Petersburg, USA, as well as for the third, fourth and fifth monographs in our series on the painters Franjo Klopotan, Nikola Vecenaj Leportinov and Josip Pintarić Puco.