Meeting I

Art Collection by Alhambra – Josip Konta

Boutique Hotel Alhambra, Mali Lošinj, Croatia

Artworks that enrich both space and spirit

In the intimate and refined atmosphere of the Boutique Hotel Alhambra, we are proud to present an exhibition of sculptures by one of Croatia’s most esteemed sculptors – Josip Konta.

The academic sculptor Josip Konta was an artist of deep sensitivity, whose work left a lasting imprint on the Croatian contemporary art scene. Born in 1946, he graduated from the Academy of Fine Arts in Zagreb and continued his development in the master studio of Professor Antun Augustinčić. He lived and worked in Zagreb until his passing in 2023, leaving behind a body of work marked by a strong artistic identity, present in numerous private collections in Croatia and abroad.

Konta was a sculptor of the inner world and silent tensions. His works reflect a profound engagement with themes of alienation, the states of the human spirit, and the individual’s place in contemporary society. Through his sculptures, Konta explored the complexity of human nature, inner conflict, and the quiet ruptures of identity.

A defining element of his sculptural language was the use of negative space — voids and scars that not only shaped the form but also symbolised emotional emptiness, pain, or the absence of connection. In the dialogue between solid form and absence, a space for introspective contemplation emerges. The recurring motif of the horse is not a figure of strength, but a metaphor for the inner ideal — the elusive, better part of ourselves we strive for, yet rarely attain.

Konta’s sculptures resist fixed interpretation; rather, the artist offers the viewer complete freedom of response. Each reading of his work is valid, shaped by the personal experience, sensitivity, and worldview of the observer.

Art Collection by Alhambra – Josip Konta embodies what this long-standing collaboration has cultivated over time: a dialogue between contemporary sculpture and a luxurious space shaped by quiet aesthetics, refinement, and embedded history. This collection is not decorative — it is a companion, a silent interlocutor in the rhythm of daily presence, unobtrusive, yet inviting reflection.

Each sculpture is cast in bronze in limited editions (no more than eight originals) and represents an example of carefully shaped artistic legacy – offered with deep respect for the author, and for the observer.