Academy of Applied Arts, Zagreb, 1949–55

Zagreb’s Academy of Applied Arts was founded in 1949, in a social context marked by post-war reconstruction, ongoing democratization processes, and a modernization of society in which industrial production held a key position. With a curriculum combining theoretical and practical teaching, it aimed to unify the craft tradition with the applied arts by adopting the radical experimental educational model of the Bauhaus school. Although the academy only existed for a very short time (1949–55), its legacy as an influential generator of social modernization is still apparent today. Its graduates strongly influenced the field of visual culture, design, and art in Croatia during the following decades.