Ivan Meštrović Gallery

A sculptor's villa turned museum, the Ivan Meštrović Gallery presents the work of Croatia's greatest modern sculptor in the seafront residence he designed for himself on the wooded slopes of the Marjan peninsula, west of Split's old town. It is one of the finest single-artist museums in the country and a serene counterpoint to the crowded Roman core.

Meštrović built the house in the 1930s as a home, studio and exhibition space, and it retains the calm proportions of a classical villa, with colonnades, terraced gardens and views over the Adriatic. After the Second World War the artist emigrated to the United States, but he arranged for the property and a large body of his work to pass to the Croatian public, so the building was always intended to become a gallery.

The collection spans his career, from intimate portraits and religious reliefs to the monumental female figures and biblical scenes for which he is best known. Bronze, marble, stone and wood pieces are arranged through the rooms and across the garden, where large works stand against the sea and pine trees. A short walk away, the associated Kaštelet chapel holds his celebrated cycle of wooden reliefs on the life of Christ.

For visitors the gallery rewards a relaxed pace. It lies about a twenty-minute walk or a short bus ride from Diocletian's Palace along the coast road toward Marjan, and can be combined with a hike up the wooded hill. Admission covers both the main gallery and the nearby Kaštelet, museum hours apply, and the garden terraces offer some of the best sea views in the city. The uphill approach and stepped garden make full step-free access difficult.