The monograph, published on the occasion of the 90th birthday of this prominent Croatian-Canadian painter and graphic artist, features 90 drawings created from 2024 to 2026, and Cetín donated ten of his works to the National and University Library’s Graphic Collection.
The art monograph “90 za 90”, prepared on the occasion of the 90th birthday of the prominent Croatian-Canadian painter and graphic artist Anton Cetín, was presented on September 15, 2026 in the small lobby of the National and University Library in Zagreb, where an exhibition of the artist’s works was also on display.
Art critic Branka Hlevnjak, painters Frane Paro and Javor Bućan, and writers Vinko Grubišić and Ljubo Krmek presented the monograph. The author himself, Anton Cetín, addressed the attendees, thanking them for joining the celebration of his art jubilee.
Speaking about Cetín’s creativity, Branka Hlevnjak emphasized that he is an author rich in ideas and endless creative talent, who always paints differently. She added that Cetín strives to create something universal through detail, recognizing the greatness of his artwork.
She particularly touched upon the Eve motif, that is, the woman, who has always been at the core of Cetín’s creativity, assessing him as an artist equally abstract and symbolic.
The painter Frane Paro underlined Cetín’s endless imagination, emphasizing that such fruitfulness and creative strength are a very rare phenomenon in art.
Javor Bućan assessed that Cetín “plays for the long term” because, in small formats, he manages to achieve concrete grandeur and a large expressive range. His goal, he pointed out, is to achieve uniqueness of diversity, whereby the artist shows an exceptional sense of measure, quantity and range. Cetín’s works are diverse in content and leave the dialogue open to different discussions and interpretations. Bućan also highlighted the artist’s power of inner transformation, adding that Cetín’s works reveal to us the truth about the mysterious existence of our world.
The writer Ljubo Krmek described Cetín as an artist of continuity, constantly expanding his knowledge, and said the monograph is a gift from the artist to himself but, at the same time, a gift to humanity.
Vinko Grubišić, recalling his long-time association with the painter in the diaspora, pointed out that Croatian culture and the cultural scene in Canada would be considerably poorer without Anton Cetín. He recalled his long-standing engagement in the Croatian community, to which Cetín contributed through his artistic work, illustrating, among other things, numerous books, textbooks and brochures.
The monograph “90 za 90” brings a selection of ninety of Cetín’s drawings created from 2024 to 2026. The symbolism of the artist’s 90th birthday is also reflected in the number of copies – exactly 90.
Art critic Branka Hlevnjak wrote the foreword to the monograph, and the edition was published in Croatian, English, and French.
Anton Cetín was born in 1936 in Bojana, Croatia. He graduated from the Academy of Fine Arts in Zagreb, and after his Paris period, lived and worked in Toronto from 1968. Since 2019, he has lived and worked in Ottawa as a freelance artist. During his rich artistic career, he held175 solo exhibitionsand participated in more than 200 group exhibitions worldwide.
The monograph’s presentation also had special artistic value for the National and University Library – Anton Cetín donated ten of his drawings to the National and University Library’s Graphic Collection on that occasion.
Text and photo: CHF
