Mersad Berber, Untitled, oil on canvas, signed lower right (Berber), original frame. Dimensions: 40 x 30 cm (+ frame 15 cm).

Bosnian academic painter Mersad Berber, a master of lyrical images, is the author of more than 100 solo exhibitions and many group exhibitions in Europe, Asia and America. His works have been included in the collection of the Tate Gallery in London since 1984. He has received more than 50 awards, including in Sao Paulo, Tokyo, Alexandria and New Delhi.

Mersad Berber was born in 1940 in Bosanski Petrovac. He studied at the Academy of Fine Arts in Ljubljana. In 1978, he became a professor at the Academy of Fine Arts in Sarajevo. During his creative life, he was internationally known as one of the leading graphic and painting masters. He returned to Bosnia again and again, its ancient motifs never left his works. His images of horses and girls with flower wreaths on a golden background are recognizable. Berber was a great master of mixing different styles and traditions.

He was engaged in painting, graphics, illustration and tapestry and produced a monumental tapestry for the great hall of Cankarjev dom. He was also involved in scenography and costume design, which came to life in theaters in Ljubljana, Zagreb, Sarajevo and Washington. He illustrated many books for which he was awarded several times, he also designed scenographies and added a cartoon to his oeuvre. His work is represented by several extensive monographs published in 1980, 1985 and 1997.