SHORT BIOHRAPHY
Radovan Trnavac Mića was born on May 17, 1950 in Kragujevac, Serbia. He went to primary school in Valjevo, and to Secondary Electro-technical school “Nikola Tesla” in Belgrade. He gained his first painting experience at the Teachers’ college in Nikšić (Monte Negro) in Professor Nikola Gvozdenović’s class. He graduated from the Academy of Fine Arts in Belgrade, painting department, in 1975, in Professor Mladen Srbinović`s class. Since 1981 Radovan Trnavac Mića lived in USA where he acquired a great reputation as an artist.
Solo exhibitions (selection):
1971. YOUTH CLUB, New Belgrade, Serbia
1972. COMO GALLERY, Lugano, Italy
1972. FISCHETI GALERY, Milan, Italy
1973. YUGOSLAV PHOTO UNION GALLERY, Belgrade, Serbia
1974. FISHETI GALLERY, Venice, Italy
1979. NATIONAL UNIVERSITY KOLARAC, Belgrade, Serbia
1981. NAHO GALLERY, New York, USA
1982. MANHATTAN LABARATORIUM MUSEUM, New York, USA
1983. JOAN DEAN GALLERY, New York, USA
1984. ALTERNATIVE MUSEUM, New York, USA
1985-1986. THE MAGIC OF ART, Toronto, Canada
1987. MAIN STREET GALLERY, Tarrytown, USA
1989-1991. NEW RENAISSANCE GALLERY, New York, USA
1990-1991. GUILFORD ART CENTER, Connecticut, USA
1990. NATIONAL MUSEUM, Valjevo, SERBIA
1992. ODDZIAL MUSEUM TECHNIKI, Warsaw, Poland
1994. L.D.GALLERY, New York, USA
1995. NATIONAL MUSEUM, Belgrade, Serbia – [VIDEO]
1996. BELLGARDE GALLERY, New York, USA
1996. AMANU, Skopje, FYR Macedonia
1998. INTERNATIONAL ART STUDIO “RADOVAN TRNAVAC MIĆA”, Valjevo, Serbia
2001. KRAEVEBCESKOM MUSEUM, Vitebsk, Belarus
2001. MUSEUM OF MODERN ART, Banja Luka, Republic of Srpska
2001. GALLERY OF INTERNATIONAL FRIENDSHIP, Moscow, Russia
2005. CITY MUSEUM, Skopje, FYR Macedonia
2007. NIS GALLERY, Belgrade, Serbia
2009. INTERNATIONAL ART STUDIO, Valjevo, Serbia
2012. COUNTRY MUSEUM, Petrovac na Mlavi, Serbia
2012. GALLERY NEW RENAISSANCE, Belgrade, Serbia
2012. BEL-EXPO ART 2012, Minsk, Belarus
2013. GALLERY ČEDOMIR KRSTIĆ, Pirot, Serbia
2013. MODERN GALLERY, Knjaževac, Serbia
2014. INTERNATIONAL ART STUDIO, Valjevo, Serbia
2015. CONTEMPORARY GALLERY SALON, Zrenjanin, Serbia
2016/2017 ART PROJECT “FROM LISBON THROUGH MINSK, MOSCOW, ASTANA, TO VLADIVOSTOK”, Minsk (Belarus), Moscow (Russia), Vladivostok (Russia), Astana (Kazakhstan), Lisbon (Portugal)
2018. GALLERY MIĆA POPOVIĆ, Loznica, Serbia
2019. NATIONAL MUSEUM OF KRUŠEVAC, Kruševac, Serbia
2019. ART SALON, Trstenik, Serbia
2019. CULTURAL CENTER KNJAŽEVAC, Knjaževac, Serbia
Paintings of Radovan Trnavac Mića are a part of many museum and private collections all over the world, amongst which are:
– National Museum, Belgrade, Serbia
– MANU, Skoplje, Macedonia
– Malcolm Forbes Museum, New York, USA
– Lenz Schonberg Museum, Germany
– National Museum Valjevo, Serbia
– Manhattan Labaratorium Museum, New York, USA
– Oddzial Museum Techniki, Warsaw, Poland
– Association of fine Artists of Serbia
– Unity for Culture, Belgrade, Serbia
– Unity for Culture of Serbia, Serbia
– Railway Museum, Serbia
– Kraevebceskom Museum, Vitebsk, Belarus
– Museum of Modern Art, Banja Luka, Republic of Srpska
– Simon Levit M.D. Collection, Boca Raton, Florida, USA
– Kouros Gallery Collection, New York, USA
– M.A.R. Sportswear Collection, Orange City, New Jersey, USA
– Robert Duvan Collection, Cleveland, Ohio, USA
Radovan Trnavac Mića’s paintings could also be seen in other countries like Italy, Switzerland, France, Sweden, Netherlands, Hungary, Russia, Canada, Japan and Australia.
At the same time, Radovan Trnavac Mića participated in more than 700 group exhibitions around the world. He exhibited with famous painters of the 20th century like Picasso, Rauschenberg, Lichtenstein, Warhol and many others.
A great number of articles and specialized readings about Mića and his work written by prominent art reviewers have been published in magazines all over the world.
Three documentary movies were made about the life and work of Radovan Trnavac Mića and over a hundred TV stories about him appeared in the USA, Canada, Russia, Germany, Italy, Poland, Macedonia and former Yugoslavia.
Apart from being a painter, Radovan Trnavac Mića is also a sculptor. Five of his monuments are arrayed in Macedonian cities Bitolj, Kruševo and Brusnik.
Also, three monographs were published about his life and work as well as a great number of books: “Art In America“ (1983), “The Best Of Day Tripping And Dining“ (1986), “„Soho“ (1991), “In the Shadow of the Famous” (1995), “Daily Heat“ (2008).
Besides the painting and before leaving for the USA, he had worked in an informative and cultural TV program for the show called “The Close Up” (from 1978 to 1980). In the “Belgrade’s Chronicle”, on Fridays, authored by Branislav Vukašinović, Mića Trnavac had his own column “From the Belgrade Artists` Studios”. He made 26 short documentary films on the same subject and 21 of them ware awarded. This TV sequel was followed by the opening of the exhibition of artists that Mića had interviewed and talked about in his films. This exhibition was opened at the “Cvijeta Zuzorić” Art Pavilion and the sponsor was Television of Belgrade. About 100.000 visitors had visited the show and all media made stories about Mića and talked in superlatives about him.
During those years Radovan Trnavac wrote for a popular magazine “The Rainbow” edited by Dragoljub Vukašinović Pižon. Those times were very difficult for exhibiting because of a lack of exhibiting spaces. Mića started the polemic in “The Rainbow” with the headline “How to Open Private Galleries”. Thanks to those texts authorities passed a law on the opening of private galleries. As a result, the first private gallery in Belgrade was open in 1981.
After having several successful exhibitions in the USA, Mića was offered to teach painting and drawing at the various Art Academies. He accepted to be a guest Professor. As he once said his favourite teaching part was in Guilford Art Center in Connecticut, where he held Master Class from 1989 to 1996.
City of Valjevo and its Council founded the International Art Studio in 1997 and named it after Radovan Trnavac Mića. The Studio`s aim is to host well known and renowned artists from all over the world. Mića had a wish to show his country and his people to the guest artists. They stay one month at the Studio as long as their exhibition lasts at the gallery of the Studio. So far 140 artists from almost all continents have exhibited here and Studio gathered significant art work collection which for sure is one of the most important foreign artists` collections in Serbia from the World War II. It turned out that the idea for the Studio was great which is proven by constant reports, stories and readings by the world and national media.
Radovan Trnavac Mića was many times rewarded for his work in his own country as well as abroad. His awards collection consists of many prestigious prizes and important acknowledgments.