In the "Ljudevit Šestić" exhibition hall of the "Ivan Goran Kovačić" City Library, Karlovac, we opened the exhibition "Hinko Krapek – a man of his time" and presented the monograph of the same name. The exhibition and promotion of the monograph marked the beginning of a year-long program commemorating the life, work, and significance of Hink Krapek in a local, national, and international context.
The reason for organizing the program is to mark the 185th anniversary of the City Library "Ivan Goran Kovačić" and the 30th anniversary of the Central Library of Slovenes in the Republic of Croatia. The program on Hink Krapek is based on innovation through interdisciplinarity and the establishment of cross-sector cooperation. The author of the exhibition and monograph, Sanda Kočevar, the museum advisor of the Historical Department of the Museum of the City of Karlovac, has in previous years researched, listed, systematized, and digitized Krapek's heritage, both in museums and in other national and international heritage institutions.
Hinko Krapek was one of the most prolific photographers of his time. His studios in Karlovac and Maribor worked for many years; 17 years in Karlovac and 39 years in Maribor, so both Karlovac and Maribor consider him their most significant photographer in the second half of the 19th century.
The monographic presentation of Hink Krapek's life and works brings together information from archival material, museum material and documentation, newspaper articles, and other forms of printed material from the time, as well as various scientific and professional texts, which contributes to the unification of knowledge from different sources and the audience's familiarity with Hink Krapek, as well as the context of his activity. At the same time, it positions Karlovac as one of the important centers in the history of photography in the 19th century.
In addition to printing a bilingual monograph, this year the Museums of the city of Karlovac will host the exhibition "Hinko Krapek - a man of his time" in libraries and museum spaces in the Republic of Slovenia, with funds from the regional and local budget, as well as their own funds, and in partnership with the City Library "Ivan Goran Kovačić" Karlovac, considering the almost 40 years of existence of Krapek's studio in Maribor, and the fact that the "Ivan Goran Kovačić" City Library in Karlovac is the central library of Slovenians in the Republic of Croatia.
The monograph "Hinko Krapek – a man of his time" has 10 detailed chapters with lists of photos in albums and Millennium exhibitions, a list of 225 published photos, a list of sources, and an index. The text is completed with 478 footnotes. The publisher is the Museums of the City of Karlovac.
The author of the program is the museum advisor of the History Department, M.Sc. sc. Sanda Kočevar. The reviewers of the monograph are Ph.D. Hrvoje Gržina from the Croatian State Archives in Zagreb and M.Sc. sc. Oskar Habjanič, senior curator of the Provincial Museum in Maribor. The company BOLFEKi art & graphic design studio is responsible for the graphic design of the monograph, and Nikolina Jelavić Mitrović for the artwork of the exhibition. Professional collaborators at the exhibition are Aleksandra Mikić Grginčić and Vedrana Vrana from the City Library "Ivan Goran Kovačić" Karlovac.
The exhibition can be viewed until April 3, 2023 during the working hours of the "Ivan Goran Kovačić" City Library. The program was financially supported by Karlovac County and the City of Karlovac.
