Milko Bambič facts for kids
Milko Bambič (born April 26, 1905 – died May 20, 1991) was a very talented artist. He was also known by his nicknames Cvetanov and Banetov. Milko Bambič was an illustrator, cartoonist, and painter. He also invented things and wrote books for kids. He was part of the Slovene minority in Italy (1920-1947). People remember him as one of the most flexible Slovene artists. He was also an important Italian Futurist painter. He wrote and published his work in both Italian and Slovene. He is famous for creating the first Slovene comic strip called Little Negro Bu-ci-bu. This comic strip was a hidden story about the career of Benito Mussolini. He also created the Three Hearts (Tri srca) logo. This logo is still used today by the company Radenska.
Milko Bambič's Life Story
Milko Bambič was born in Trieste. He went to elementary school there, called the Cyril and Methodius School. They taught in the Slovene language. After that, he went to a German preparatory school for one year. Then he attended the first year of a German technical high school in Trieste.
In 1919, he studied at a private school run by the Rendić brothers. Later, he went to the Idrija Technical High School. There, he met Lojze Spazzapan, a Slovene-Italian painter. Spazzapan was a math and drawing teacher in Idrija. He taught Bambič about new art styles. Bambič became the main illustrator for Slovene newspapers in Trieste.
In the late 1920s, a strict political group called the fascists stopped him from joining the Accademia di Belle Arti in Venice. In 1927, he took part in a secret art show for Slovene artists in Trieste. The Italian Fascist government had banned this exhibition.
Bambič wrote a children's story about a black king named Buci-Bu. This king's bad decisions led his people to ruin. The Italian Fascist government realized the story had a hidden political message. To avoid being arrested, Bambič had to leave Trieste and move to Yugoslavia.
In 1928, he moved to Ljubljana. He started studying architecture there but did not finish his degree. In 1929, he moved to Zagreb. He ran a graphics company and published an art magazine. In 1931, he designed the Three Hearts (Slovene: Tri srca) logo for Radenska. In 1932, he took art history classes in Ljubljana.
In 1935, the Mladinska matica publishing house gave him an award. It was for his youth picture book called King Honolulu (Slovene: Kralj Honolulu). He returned to Trieste in 1943 after Italy surrendered in the war. He lived there until he passed away. He created his second comic strip only in 1959.
In 1975, he received the Marcello Mascherini Award. In 1978, he had an art show in the Sežana library. This show made Slovene people more interested in his work. He had a big exhibition in Villa Opicina in 1980. Another large exhibition took place in Trieste in 1985.
Milko Bambič's Amazing Work
Milko Bambič illustrated more than 70 books. One of them was a poetry collection called Tičistan by Aleš Debeljak. Besides his comic strips and funny drawings, he also made the first Slovene youth book with color lithography. This book was called St. Nicholas's Night and was written by Josip Ribičič.
Milko Bambič could speak nine languages! He translated poems by poets like the Russian Alexander Blok and the Italian Michelle Chaunier. Some of his translations were published. He also held seven patents for his inventions in different European countries.
For most of his life, he was very connected to his hometown of Trieste. He was the main Slovene illustrator there. He also wrote and illustrated many children's books. His paintings were influenced by art styles like Vienna Secession and Slovene Impressionism. His funny drawings and illustrations were known for being light, new, funny, and full of stories. In Italian newspapers, he was a respected art critic. He also wrote articles about art, education, technology, and other important topics.
On the 100th anniversary of his birth, people organized a conference and three art shows to celebrate his work.
