Location: University Gallery, University of Split (Ruđera Boškovića 31)

Dates: June 16, 2026 – July 17, 2026, opening at 8:00 PM

The University of Split and the University Gallery are pleased to invite the public to the opening of the exhibition "Petar Jakelić's World of Drawing – Nulla Dies Sine Linea", which will take place on Tuesday, June 16, 2026, at 8:00 PM at the University Gallery in Split.

The exhibition offers a unique insight into one of the most significant and extensive segments of the creative work of academic painter and printmaker Petar Jakelić, an artist whose oeuvre has left a lasting mark on Croatian visual art in the second half of the twentieth and the beginning of the twenty-first century. Following the major retrospective exhibition held in 2024 at the Split Gallery of Fine Arts, this exhibition presents, for the first time, his body of drawings as a distinct and comprehensive artistic entity.

Occupying both floors of the University Gallery, the exhibition provides visitors with a comprehensive overview of the artist's development across more than seven decades of creative work. One of its greatest values lies in the fact that the public will have the opportunity to see a large number of works that have never before been exhibited. These include some of Jakelić's earliest drawings created during his studies at the School of Applied Arts in Split, student works, studies, sketches, and drawings from various creative periods, as well as his most recent works.

Through hundreds of drawings displayed throughout the gallery space, visitors can trace the evolution of an artistic language that, as exhibition curator Prof. Joško Belamarić, PhD, emphasizes, formed the foundation of Jakelić's entire artistic practice. For Jakelić, drawing was more than an artistic discipline—it was a daily necessity, a permanent way of observing, contemplating, and recording the world. This idea is reflected in the exhibition title Nulla Dies Sine Linea ("No Day Without a Line").

Visitors will be able to explore an exceptionally diverse selection of works—from early realist studies and female nudes, through fantastic and mythological scenes, to self-portraits and drawings inspired by memories of Prugovo, the artist's hometown. The exhibition reveals an artist who remained faithful throughout his life to drawing as the most direct and personal form of artistic expression.

The exhibition also serves as an introduction to a major publishing project currently in preparation—a monograph of Petar Jakelić's drawings, the most comprehensive publication to date dedicated to this aspect of his work.

The exhibition will be officially opened by Academician Dragan Ljutić, Rector of the University of Split, and presented by curator Prof. Joško Belamarić, PhD.

The exhibition is organized on the occasion of the 52nd anniversary of the University of Split.

For more information, please visit: https://www.facebook.com/Sveucilisna.galerija