The Southern Slav Sculptor: Ivan Meštrović, Yugoslavia, and Yorkshire

Join Jelena Sofronijevic for a conversation about sculptor Ivan Meštrović, his legacy in Leeds, and regional diasporic communities today.

*Please note this is a hybrid event. Please select either the 'In-Person' or 'Online' ticket type when booking your place.*  

Ivan Meštrović (1883–1962) is considered ‘one of the chief spiritual protagonists of the Yugoslav idea’ in the early 20th century. This national idea and identity was often expressed in foreign and diasporic contexts—in the institutions of public art, as much as politics and academia. Meštrović was born in Vrpolje, then part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, and present-day Croatia. Many of Meštrović’s best-known works were created in periods of study, exile, and refuge, from Italy, Switzerland, Austria, and the US. 

'The Southern Slav Sculptor' was Meštrović’s landmark exhibition at the Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A) in London. The exhibition was later presented in fragments at the Institute of Fine Arts in Glasgow and Leeds City Art Gallery between 1915 and 1916. Each iteration aroused public, political, and artistic interest across the UK. 

In 1915, Yorkshire artist Henry Moore attended a lecture about Meštrović at the University of Leeds. We know this from archive materials at the Research Library of the Henry Moore Institute. Moore would remodel Meštrović’s neoclassical references in his early figurative drawings and reliefs. Some forty years later, Moore travelled to Yugoslavia. This visit, and his practice, remains prominent in the region’s modern and contemporary art histories.  

Revisiting these exhibitions over 100 years on is an opportunity to challenge singular national and nationalist representations. It is also an opportunity to revisit the lives of the different Yugoslavias through which these artists worked.  

This talk with Jelena Sofronijevic traces the sculptor’s presence in collections between Leeds and Bradford. We'll bring in figures such as Dorothy Una Ratcliffe and Lord Brotherton, Dimitrije Mitrinović and Oscar Nemon, and Frank Rutter and Michael Sadler. We'll also explore dis/connections with Balkan and Yugoslav/diaspora communities who live across Yorkshire today. 

You can see some of Meštrović’s portraits on display in Who am I to you?

Jelena Sofronijevic (@empirelinespodcast) is a producer, curator, writer and researcher, working at the intersections of cultural history, politics and the arts. Their independent curatorial projects include Invasion Ecology (2024), SEEDLINGS: Diasporic Imaginaries (2025) and Can We Stop Killing Each Other? at the Sainsbury Centre (2025). They produce EMPIRE LINES, a podcast which uncovers the unexpected flows of empires through art. They are also pursuing a practice-based PhD with Gray’s School of Art, curating exhibitions of Balkan and Yugoslavian/diasporic artists in British art collections.

Access Information

Getting Here

• This event is in Treasures of the Brotherton, in Parkinson Building. There is step-free access – see our Visit information for more details. 

• Online attendees will be sent a link to a Teams meeting the day before the event.  

Sensory

• Treasures of the Brotherton is a dark gallery, but the room where the event takes place is quite bright.  

• You are welcome to borrow anything you like from the ACCESSories Hub in Treasures of the Brotherton during the event. Please remember to return the items before you leave. 

In the Room

• In the room there will be rows of chairs with an aisle in the middle facing a large screen.  

• There will be a coat rack close to the door. 

What to Expect

• The event will begin with an introduction by Dr RJ Wade, then a talk by Jelena Sofronijevic lasting around 35 – 40 minutes.  

• There will be a slideshow of images during the talk. 

• The talk will be followed by a Q&A chaired by Dr RJ Wade. 

• Online attendees will be able to ask questions using the Q&A function in Teams. Cameras and microphones will be muted for online attendees. 

You can find more information about getting here, what to expect in our spaces, nearby facilities and additional access resources in the Visit information on our website. If you can't find what you're looking for or have any other questions, please email us at gallery@leeds.ac.uk and we'll be happy to help.