Jakob Savinšek (1922 - 1961)

Savinšek was born on 4 February 1922 in Kamnik and died on 17 August 1961 in Kirchheim near Würzburg. After having received private art lessons from Karla Bulovec-Mrak, France Gorše and Rihard Jakopič in Ljubljana during World War II, he studied sculpture at the Ljubljana Academy of Fine Arts as one of the first generation of students (1945-1949, Prof. Boris Kalin and Frančišek Smerdu). He pursued post-graduate studies in the class of Prof. B. Kalin but only for one year, 1950. He furthered his studies in Vienna, Switzerland, Italy, France and England (where he visited Henry Moore). In his brief independent artistic career, he created more than 20 public monuments; experimented with styles and materials, and, having participated at the Symposium of European Sculptors in St. Margarethen in Austria (1960), together with sculptor J. Lenassi, he laid the foundations for the Forma Viva International Symposium in Slovenia (Kostanjevica na Krki, Seča near Portorož, 1961) which, however, he did not live to see the launching of; he died while working at a sculpture symposium in Germany. Beside sculpture, his legacy consists of a large number of drawings. He also produced stage designs and illustrations.