Shadows

Ljubo Babić (Jastrebarsko, 1890 – Zagreb, 1974), painter and art historian. He studied painting at the Munich academy under A. Jank and F. von Stuck. While still a student, he directed a part of his vast creative energy to the theatre and set design, trying his hand at the Künstlertheater in the city. On his return to Zagreb, he carried on with this line of activity, developing it to its acme during the 1920s and 1930s. The Museum of Arts and Crafts keeps a small part of the fascinating set design work of Babić (18 drawings, gouaches and collages), including the set- and costume design sketches for the ballet Shades, created together with Božidar Širola. In 1925, Babić received a Grand Prix for his set design oeuvre at the Paris Exposition internationale des arts dćcoratifs et industriels modernes.