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Croatian Academy of Science and Arts, Zagreb by Donatus (Darko Tepert) –

Top 9 Fascinating Facts about Strossmayer Gallery of Old Masters

The Strossmayer Gallery of Old Masters is a museum of fine arts found in Zagreb, Croatia. The museum exhibits the collection of arts donated to the city by Bishop Josip Juraj Strossmayer in 1884.

In Croatian, the museum is known as the Strossmayerova Galerija Starih Majstora. It is located at 11 Nikola Šubić Zrinski Square.

The collection of artworks has around 4000 bodies of work. However, at any given moment in the museum, only around 250 to 300 are on display. The rest of the works are in storage for security and preservation from degradation.

Below are some fascinating facts about this historical museum.

1. Located in The Croatian Academy of Sciences and Arts

The national academy of Croatia is known as the Croatian Academy of Sciences and Arts. The academy was founded under bishop Josip Juraj Strossmayer’s patronage. Founded in 1861, the academy went by the name Yugoslav Academy of Sciences and Arts changing its name to the current between 1941 and 1945.

Located in the academy’s department of fine arts is the Strossmayer Gallery of Old Masters. The gallery is named after the academy’s benefactor and donator of its first collection of art.

2. The Arts in The Museum Were Collected by Bishop Strossmayer

Josip Juraj Strossmayer by Josip Franjo Mücke (1819-1883) –

Josip Juraj Strossmayer was a Croatian bishop, benefactor, Roman Catholic, and Croatian politician. He was born on 4th February 1815 and died at 90 years of age on 8th April 1905.

He was instrumental in the founding of the Yugoslav Academy of Sciences and Arts (today known as the Croatian Academy of Sciences and Arts) in 1866. Strossmayer’s contribution did not end with opening the academy.

He started construction of the Academy’s Palace and set up the Strossmayer Gallery of Old Masters. He was an avid collector of religious art pieces from all over Europe. From the time he was appointed bishop of Dakovo, bishop Strossmayer bought paintings for the next 30 years.

He began with artworks from Italy, especially from the Renaissance era, especially from Venice and Florence. Later, in the 1870s, he diversified his collection by purchasing art from the 17th Century.

In1868, he decided to donate this art collection to the Croatian People. In 1884 he donated the collection to the Strossmayer Gallery of Old Masters.

3. The Gallery Has a Collection of 4000 Pieces of Art

Joachim Patinir’s Landscape with the Rest on the Flight (detail) found in Strossmayer’s Gallery- by Joachim Patinir –

When the gallery was opened in 1884, it displayed a collection of 256 works of art collected by Strossmayer. However, the collection has expanded significantly over the years through donations from various people and parts of Europe.

This expansion increased significantly the number of artworks which led to the opening of the Modern Gallery in Zagreb which holds more recent works. Some notable donations came from philanthropists such as Ivan Ružić, Marquis Etienne de Piennes, Ante Topić Mimara, and Zlatko Baloković. The gallery currently holds around 4000 pieces of work.

4. Construction of The Gallery Was Proposed and Partly Financed by Strossmayer

Strossmayer decided to donate his collection not only to widen the public’s taste but also to support the university. He strongly believed that the university (academy), would not last long without a chair of art history.

However, he noticed that the academy had limited space to house the collection and limited funding to support the project. To this end, he donated 40.000 forints for the construction of an edifice that could house the Gallery, as well as the Academy itself.

He did this hoping that other parties such as the City administration and government would back his idea, which they did.

5. Desined by Friedrich von Schmidt

Friedrich Freiherr von Schmidt by Ludwig Angerer –

When Strossmayer’s proposal for the construction of the palace was approved, he was tasked with overseeing its construction. Other benefactors such as the City Administration, Royal Provincial Government, and wealthy individuals supported the project.

Strossmayer delegated the designing duties to the famous architect Friedrich von Schmidt. Schmidt was an architect in the 19th Century from Vienna.

He is also responsible for designing the Vaduz Cathedral and St. Joseph’s Cathedral in Bucharest. Schmidt designed the Palace and Gallery in a Viennese neo-Renaissance style.

6. The Collection Is Classified Into 3 Major Groups

The Strossmayer Gallery has grown significantly over the years since the first donation. Today the gallery houses a variety of artworks by European artists ranging from the 14th to 19th centuries.

This large collection is therefore divided into three major categories that make up most of the artworks. That is the Italian, French and Northern European (German, Flemish, and Dutch) works.

There is also a collection of works from Croatia and Croatian artists. This collection is known as Schiavoni which is Italian translating to ‘Slavs’.

7. The Artworks Are Housed on The Palace’s Second Floor

Nine small rooms on the second floor of the palace house the art collection. The first six rooms are decorated with Italian artwork, including Fra Beato Angelico’s “Martyrdom of St. Peter” in room 1.

Saints Augustine and Benedict, a recently repaired work by Bellini, is located in room 3 adjacent to Carpaccio’s “Martyrdom of St. Sebastian.” German, Dutch, and Flemish (Brueghel) painters are included in the collection as well.

The last room is devoted to the French and has Jean Antoine Gros’ “Portrait of Madame Récamier.”

8. Closed for Repair After Earthquake Damage in 2020

Closed for construction by Michael Bußmann from

On 22nd March 2020, Zagreb was hit by a strong earthquake of magnitude 5.3 Mw. The earthquake which already damaging by itself, had several aftershocks some reaching 5.0 magnitudes which increased the destruction in the city.

The Strossmayer Gallery of Old Masters was among the many buildings damaged by the quake during the coronavirus pandemic period. This led to its closure subsequently to allow for the repairs to be made.

9. The Gallery Also House the Baška Tablet

Baska Tablet by Unknown Author –

The Baška Tablet, a monument containing early inscriptions of the Croatian Recension of the Church Slavonic Language is found in the Gallery. The tablet dates back to 1100 AD making it one of the oldest and earliest pieces of artwork in the gallery.

Behind the academy, there is a park. Located in the park is a large statue of Bishop Strossmayer which was designed by Croatian Sculptor, writer, and architect Ivan Meštrović.