PICASSO’S WORK PRESENTED TO THE PUBLIC IN KOZARSKA DUBICA

The town of Kozarska Dubica, widely recognized for handball, dairy production and distribution, fruit growing, and the nearby Kozara mountain, is also home to a remarkable artistic treasure.

PHOTO: ATV

A graphic print titled “Head of a Man” by the world-renowned Spanish painter Pablo Picasso is preserved at the National Library of Kozarska Dubica.

According to the library’s director, Danijela Mandić, the artwork is part of the legacy collection of Boško Šiljegović.

“Everything you see here is actually the legacy of Boško Šiljegović’s library. Along with a large number of books, more than 40 graphic prints by various artists—some lesser known, but also a graphic by Pablo Picasso—were brought to the library,” Mandić told ATV.

Due to the war events of the early 1990s and several other circumstances, Picasso’s print remained displayed only on the walls of the library, largely hidden from the public eye, until 2014.

However, on the occasion of the library’s anniversary, Picasso’s graphic—together with the entire Boško Šiljegović legacy—was officially presented to both local residents and the wider public.

The work of one of the most celebrated painters of all time was created in 1964. The piece, “Head of a Man,” is in fact Picasso’s self-portrait, rather than a work titled “Man with a Beard,” as initially assumed.

The graphic was created just one month before the Congress of the Communist Party held in Paris from May 14 to 17, 1964, adding further historical context to this significant artwork now proudly showcased in Kozarska Dubica.