Andrija Maurović

Biography

Maurović was born in the village of Muo (part of Kotor) in Boka Kotorska in present-day Montenegro (at the time in Austria-Hungary) to a family of Slovene-Montenegrin origin. After a short sojourn to Kraków in Poland, he moved with his family to the nearby city of Dubrovnik where he attended elementary and secondary school.

Following the recommendation of the writer Ivo Vojnović, he enrolled at the Academy of Arts in Zagreb. Soon, he got into conflicts regarding norms and rules, since the academy prevented students of any work during their studies. At that time he started illustrating books, weekly and daily newspapers, and also graphic institutions, booksellers and editors, particularly for St. Kugli. As the best students, particularly in drawing, he dropped his first academic year. Being extremely busy with the work he liked, he did not take his academic fiasco tragically. Working on illustrations, caricatures, posters and graphic design, he became one of the best, and his work appeared in the editions of papers and magazines like Jutarnji list, Novosti, Koprive, Ženski svijet, Kulisa.

In 1935, he created his first comic Vjerenica Mača, which was published in the Zagreb newspaper Novosti. In the same year Maurović co-launched Oko, the first Yugoslav comics magazine.

Maurović collaborated with many eminent Croatian writers and screenplay writers, such as Franjo Fuis. He also drew his illustrations based on literary models of epic world writers and novelists like Alex Tolstoy, Zane Grey, August Šenoa, Jack London, B. Traven, Max Brand, and H. G. Wells.

It is difficult to describe the total number of his professions and activities. He was a painter of seascapes and apocalyptic scenes, caricaturist, illustrator, preacher and comic strip sketcher. He lived life of his own and created a great number of impressive comic strip heroes and personalities (like Dan, Old Tom-cat, Radoslav). His works are part of the Sudac Collection.

Being in all the world encyclopaedias and publications on comics, he has earned his eminent place in the art of world comics. Numerous editions and reprints of his best works, numerous awards and prizes he has received, the reputation that he achieved is comparable with the achievements and fame of the greatest names and creators of cartoons in the world.

In 1949 the 9th Chess Olympiad management requisitioned a new style of chessmen. Andrija Maurović a chess player was contracted to design the Dubrovnik chess set. The pieces were made in the workshop of master craftsman, Jakovljevič, in Zagreb.

Andrija Maurović died in Zagreb, and was buried in the Mirogoj cemetery. The comic strip club in Kotor bears his name.