Ivan Kožarić was born in Petrinja, Croatia in 1921. After studying at the Academy of Fine Arts in Zagreb, from which he graduated in 1947, Kožarić developed an idiosyncratic corpus that spanned a wide array of mediums and techniques, including permanent and temporary sculptures, assemblages, proclamations, photographs, paintings and installations. He received a scholarship at the end of the 1950s that allowed him to travel to Paris and discover the very best of the contemporary art of the period, which confirmed his appetite for novelty and his refusal to bow down to aesthetic ‘trends’.
The through line of his work, despite its many diverse forms, is a deliberate sense of mischief, spontaneity and a nonchalant approach to life, as well as a desire for constant evolution. This latter characteristic was evident in his co-founding of the Gorgona Group (and its short-lived ‘anti-magazine’) in 1959, which included the likes of Miljenko Horvat, Julije Knifer, Marijan Jevšovar, Dimitrije Bašičević, Matko Meštrović, Radoslav Putar, Đuro Seder and Josip Vaništa throughout its seven years of activity. This period marked both a reduction and purity of form for Kožarić, and more generally led to a sigh of artistic relief in post-war Yugoslavia. This generation embodied the avant-garde of then Yugoslavia and future Croatia. More personally, Kožarić was convinced of the need for evolution, in a parallel between art and humanity. Since humanity and its context are continuously evolving, so must its artistic production. Even when the group dissolved in 1966, each member carried these philosophical inclinations with them.
His exhibitions included: Haus der Kunst, Munich (2013); the Museum of Modern Art, Paris (2002); the Art Pavilion, Zagreb (2005–2006); the Venice Biennale (1976), the São Paulo Biennale (1979); documenta, Kassel, Germany (2002); the Museum of Contemporary Art, Zagreb, which bought his entire studio to display in the gallery in 2007.
Some of his works live on in public spaces thanks to various commissions, including: Grounded Sun, Zagreb (1971); A. G. Matoš, Zagreb (1978); Tree, Bochum, Germany (1979–1980) and Ascent, Zagreb (2002). He received numerous awards, including the Vladimir Nazor Lifetime Achievement Award (1997).
Kožarić passed away in 2020.