Matko Trebotić

The artist Matko Trebotić was born in Milna on the island of Brač, where he attended three classes of public school in the Croatian language (teaching in Split was in Italian until 1943), and from 1944 continues his education in Split. He graduated from the Classical High School in Split. He graduated in architecture in Belgrade, where among others his professors were Branislav Kojić, Nikola Dobrović and Bogdan Bogdanović, with whom he maintained contact until his death in exile in Vienna. After his first architectural successes in his homeland, he went to Germany, where he worked as a freelance associate in various top architectural bureaus (Bochum, Düsseldorf and as a partner in Bureau AAA in Essen).

In 1968 colleague and friend architect prof. Wulf Schmiedeknecht offers him the possibility of an exhibition in the gallery of the Ruhr University, which he has just designed. The new gallery and exhibition of Matko Trebotić was officially opened by the rector of the university, prof. Kurt Biedenkopf, later a prominent politician and minister in many German governments.

During 1971 – 72. attends the iconic Folkwangschule Essen-Werden, at the Graphic Department as a “Meisterschüler” with prof. Hermann Schardt. He interrupts his studies in order to exhibit intensively throughout Europe and the world, for example: Bochum, Split, Zagreb, Essen, Dubrovnik, Belgrade, Hvar, Düsseldorf, Supetar, Hamburg, Berlin, Munich, Zurich, Rome, Sarajevo, Mostar, Ljubljana, Vukovar, Copenhagen, Schloss Moyland (J.Beuys – Archiv) Bedburg-Hau, Seoul, Budva, Punta Arenas (Chile), Bonn, Nuremberg, Vienna, Varaždin, Bratislava, Münster, Goslar – and not least, in the church of St. Nikola in his native Milna; to the small church that was renovated by Trebotić’s maternal grandfather, Alberto Marangunić, a distinguished emigrant from Argentina, benefactor and patron whose name is named after the road on Split’s Marijan. He participated in group exhibitions in New York, Paris, Basel, Istanbul, Lusaka, Luanda, Brussels, Milan, London, New Delhi, Ankara, Bucharest, Beijing, Izmir, Jakarta, Cairo, Sofia, Pescara, Canberra, Sao Paulo.

He published more than a dozen graphic and poetic maps with prominent Croatian and foreign writers and poets. He is the author of four festive theater curtains on the theme of the Adriatic polyptych for the Croatian National Theater in Split, Dubrovnik, Rijeka and Šibenik. Several monographs have been published about his work and several television films have been made.

In 2008 Matica Hrvatska published the book “Trebotić – in the mirror of criticism” by editor Jelena Hekman, with over sixty selected texts, criticisms and essays written by prominent Croatian art historians, critics and writers about Trebotić’s work.

His works can be found in many important private collections and museums here and around the world.

In 1983 with his wife Hannelore and son Fran returns to Split, to a newly built house with a studio in the Meje area.

He has been awarded numerous times for his work (Split Salon 1974; Zagreb Exhibition of Southern Graphics 1976, 1980; Exhibition of Croatian Graphics 1984; “Free Dalmatia” Award 1986; Vladimir Nazor 1990; Island of Brač Award 1991; City Award Split 1991; Order of Danica Hrvatska with the image of M. Marulić 1996; Larcemind honnoeur wilee de Chamaliers 2000; J. Kaštelan Award 2002; Seoul Space Grand Prize 2002; Split-Dalmatia County Lifetime Achievement Award 2006; R Award Bunk 2006; City of Split Lifetime Achievement Award 2009; E. Vidović Lifetime Achievement Award 2012; Best Exhibition Award – Artist on Globe 2014; Honorary Award of the Expert Jury of the 7th Croatian Watercolor Triennial 2016; Art Colony Award Rovinj 2019; First prize at the international competition of the Br. Didak Buntić Museum in Široki Brijeg 2021).

In 2020 he was awarded an Honorary Doctorate from the University of Split for his overall contribution to Croatian art.

He is an honorary member of the “Rotary” club Split, of which he is a golden donor.

He lives and works in Split.