Jože Ciuha (1924-2015)
Jože Ciuha was a famous Slovenian artist. He studied at the Academy of Fine Arts in Ljubljana, Slovenia where he graduated in 1950 and then specialized wall painting with professor Slavko Pengov.
During his studies Ciuha visited Austria, Germany, Holland, Belgium, France, Switzerland, Italy, Sweden, Poland and the Soviet Union. He also visited Macedonia where he developed his interest in the heritage of Byzantium and the East in general. Ciuha studied Buddhist art and philosophy at the University of Yangon, Myanmar in the period 1959-1961. At that time he visited India, Pakistan, Indonesia, Thailand and Cambodia. In 1964 and 1965 he traveled to South America where he got introduced to Indian civilization. He visited Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Peru and Bolivia. He brought home a lot of sketches and drawings from these trips, which he later used in his work. He described encounters with these ancient cultures in three books. In 1965 Ciuha was a guest at the University of West Michigan, and on this occasion he traveled the United States and Mexico. In the seventies Ciuha led the seminar for painting at the International Summer Academy in Salzburg.
He had over 400 solo exhibitions and as many group exhibitions around the world. He has won numerous awards. His artworks are found in many museums, galleries, public spaces and in numerous private collectors. Ciuha is a member of the Russian Academy of Arts.