Mila
Kumbatović, a native of Omišalj, paid tribute to her homeland by using its
characteristic landscapes as a continuous source of inspiration. These motifs
appeared constantly throughout her artistic career, which encompassed several
phases, from Cézannism to abstract painting and experimenting with industrial
sculpture. Her husband Oton Gliha was one of the greatest Croatian painters in
the second half of the 20th century. The two artists met during their studies
at the Academy of Fine Arts in Zagreb. A native of Istria, Gliha spent his
youth in Slovenia, Slavonia, and Zagreb. He gained world fame for his paintings
of gromače – dry stone walls on the island of Krk, which in his interpretation
became abstract stone lace.