Bukovac was born
Biagio Faggioni in the town of
Cavtat south of
Dubrovnik in
Dalmatia. While his mother was of
Croatian descent, his paternal grandfather was an
Italian sailor from the
Genoa area who experienced a shipwreck near Cavtat. Like that he met a local girl Ana Kličan, Bukovac's grandmother, with whom he married and settled in Cavtat. When he was eleven, he left with his uncle Frano for
New York, where he stayed for four years before returning to his parents. Soon after, he found employment as a sailor, traveling on the
Istanbul-
Liverpool-
Odessa route, however, his nautical career was soon cut short due to injuries sustained during a fall on the ship. He painted many portraits, including multiple for the family of wealthy businessman William Dunphy, owner of the
Rancho Posa de los Ositos. In 1877, Faggioni returned to Europe to study painting, and in this time began using the surname Bukovac, a translation of the
Italian word
faggio meaning
beech. He became a
student at the prestigious
École des Beaux-Arts in Paris studying under the famed French artist
Alexandre Cabanel. Dubrovnik-based
Serb trader Petar Marić also assisted him financially, and Bukovac later painted a portrait of him and his family. In 1892 he married Jelica Pitarević from
Dubrovnik. They had one son and three daughters. and also a member of
Serbian Royal Academy. He died in
Prague where he studied and taught art.
Early career , 1882, part of the
National Museum of Serbia collection Bukovac began his career in
France. He painted in a "sugary" realistic style, his fashionable paintings achieved great success at the
Paris Salon. During his time in France, he often traveled to
England and the
Dalmatian coast, where he was born. From the mid-1880s to
World War I, regularly visited England, where many of his pictures were sold by the London art dealers
Vicars Brothers, including
The White Slave in 1884. During his time in England, Bukovac gained the patronage of
Samson Fox of
Harrogate and Richard LeDoux of
Liverpool, whose support would elevate him in British society and in the art scene. Samson Fox had bought
Suffer the Little Children to Come to Me, exhibited at the Paris Salon in 1888, which was later presented to St. Robert's Church in Harrogate. For his portrait of
Natalie of Serbia he was awarded
Order of the Cross of Takovo. He was also awarded
Order of St. Sava. Bukovac visited
Kingdom of Montenegro several times and painted member of the
Petrović-Njegoš dynasty and other members of the elite. He was awarded
Order of Prince Danilo I for his work.
Croatia and Prague in
Zagreb Bukovac became a significant representative of fine arts in
Zagreb,
Croatia from 1893–97, bringing with him the spirit of French art. These new directives are most evident in his
landscapes. He then began using a palette of lively and lighter colors using liberated strokes, soft rendering and the introduction of light on the painting
canvas. Several examples of his work are in the Golden Hall of the
Hermann Bollé-built palace on Opatička Street (today the
Croatian Institute of History), where
Izidor Kršnjavi commissioned Croatian artists to paint historical scenes and allegorical compositions in high relief. In 1895, Bukovac completed one of his best known works, the
theatre curtain in the
Croatian National Theatre,
The Reformation of Croatian Literature and Art. In his time in Zagreb, he became a leader at many important cultural and artistic events. In December 1893, Bukovac and Izidor Kršnjavi opened an exhibition titled "Croatian Salon" (
Hrvatski salon), displaying the works of many of the top Croatian artists of the time. A few years later, Bukovac had his residence and
atelier built on King Tomislav Square, and in 1895 he founded and became the first president of the "Croatian Society of Artists" (). Therefore the original members were well known artists:
Oskar Alexander,
Robert Auer,
Ivo Bauer,
Menci Clement Crnčić,
Bela Čikoš,
Robert Frangeš,
Ferdo Kovačević,
Viktor Kovačić, and
Rudolf Valdec. He gave a speech thanking the city council for building the pavilion on behalf of Croatian artists. During this time, he felt satisfaction and enthusiasm in Zagreb that he had not felt in a while. He dedicated much time and energy to his new students, one of which was noted Croatian painter
Mirko Rački. However, due to controversy over the opening of the Croatian Salon, he withdrew to his native Cavtat where he stayed from 1898 to 1902. He introduced
pointillism to the Prague Academy, and earned his historical reputation as an excellent pedagogue. In 1908 he was elected president of the Association of Croatian Artists "Medulić" in
Split. From 1912–13, Bukovac painted "Development of Croatian Culture" (
Razvitak Hrvatske Kulture) for the main reading room in the
Croatian State Archives. In 1918, he published his autobiography "My Life" (
Moj život) in Zagreb. ==Legacy==