Artist and engraver, was born on January 1st, 1932 in the northern Croatian village of Batinska located in the valley of the Drava river. Since 1957, Lackovic has made his home in the city of Zagreb. Lackovic's early works are natural and sincere expressions of the village life and scenery of his native Batinska. After moving to Zagreb, Lackovic continued to paint poetic scenes from his native village in tempera and oil on glass, while turning increasingly to the medium of drawing. Motifs depicting winter scenes with plentiful characteristically tranquil detail prevail in his early works, while later works contain motifs with symbolic significance.

"Winter sunset" Oil on glass, 1968

"Drawing is fundamental to the natural nobility of Lackovic's painting. Since 1964, when Lackovic presented a one-man exhibition in the Graphics Section of the Croatian Academy of Arts and Sciences in Zagreb, his reputation as an artist and engraver has been continuously established. Technical mastery enables him to achieve unique lyrical harmony as well as richly surrealistic visions. The tranquility and nobility of his expression enhances the poetic content of his works." (excerpt from The Art Encyclopedia, published by the Miroslav Krleza Lexicographic Institute, 1987).

"A laundresses" Oil on glass, 1969

Ivan Lackovic Croata has very successfully devoted a significant portion of his artistic activity to engraving. His works include the following collections: Ivan Lackovic (Zagreb, 1968), Zodiac (Zagreb, 1974), Planetarium (Zagreb, 1974), Cometa di Lackovic (Rome, 1975), Cloud (Zagreb, 1975), Signum terrae (Zagreb, 1976), Mulieribus fortibus (Turin, 1976), Le quattro stagioni (Milan, 1976), Solitarines (London, 1980), Thorn (Zagreb, 1981), I Musici (Turin, 1982), Bridges (Zagreb, 1983), Drava River Valley (Zagreb, 1985) etc.

"Village on an altar" Oil on glass, 1969

Lackovic has illustrated works of prose and poetry by the following authors: M. P. Miskina, S. Kolar, P. Preradovic, M. Krleza, P. Seghers, J. L. Depierris, I. Golub, D. Ivanisevic, M. Slavicek, P. Jones, G. Duby etc. He has served as set designer for productions at the Croatian National Theatre in Zagreb and the Stadtopernhaus in Graz.

"Ecce homo" Oil on glass, 1972

Lackovic has presented approximately one hundred and fifty one-man exhibitions in Croatia as well as in cultural centres on all six continents (Cologne, Zuerich, Paris, Bremen, Laval, Muenster, Hannover, Turin, Duesseldorf, Rome, Amsterdam, Milan, Caracas, Toulouse, The Hague, Sao Paulo, Rabat, Buenos Aires, Bern, Mainz, Bruxelles, Morger, Munich, Pittsburgh, Geneva, Frankfurt, Mannheim, Vicenza, Monte Carlo, Panama City, Melbourne, Tokyo, Osaka etc.). His works have also been part of over four hundred group exhibitions in Croatia and other countries.

"Red harvest" Oil on glass, 1973

Works by Ivan Lackovic Croata are to be found in forty Croatian museums, galleries and collections as well as numerous distinguished museums and galleries throughout the world, including the following: Musee Henri Rousseau (Laval, France), Musee International d'Art naif Anatole Jakovsky (Nice, France), Museum des 20. Jahrhunderts (Vienna, Austria), Museu de Arte Contemporanea (Sao Paulo, Brasil),

"Forget-me-nots" Oil on glass, 1973

Metropolitan Museum of the Manila Foundation (Manila, The Phillipines), Bibliotheque Nationale, Cabinet des Estampes (Paris, France), Musee d'Art naif de ill de France (Vicq, France), Galleria Nazionale d'Arte Moderna (Rome, Italy), Collezione Aldo Mondadori (Milan, Italy), National Art Gallery (Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia), Museo del hombre Panameno (Panama City, Panama), Muzeum Sztuki nowoczesnej (Warsaw, Poland), Muzeum Narodowe (Cracow, Poland), Pierpont Morgan Library (New York, USA),

"Dawn" Oil on glass, 1975

Brooklyn Museum (New York, USA), Gallerie St. Etienne (New York, USA), Museum of Art, Carnegie Institute (Pittsburgh, USA), Guttenberg Museum (Mainz, Germany), Staedtische Galerie (Mainz, Germany), Museo Civico di Belle Arti (Lugano, Switzerland), Biblioteca Apostolica Vaticana (The Vatican), Monumenti, Musei e Gallerie Pontificie Citta del Vaticano (The Vatican), Museo de Bellas Arte (Caracas, Venezuela) etc.

"Red well in winter" Oil on glass, 1978

The works of Ivan Lackovic Croata have been the subject of several monographs and books of reproductions: (Vladimir Malekovic: Ivan Lackovic Croata - Zagreb, 1973; Anatole Jakovsky and Gerhard Ledic: Ivan Lackovic Croata - Zagreb, 1975; Bozo Biskupic, Josip Depolo: Ivan Lackovic Croata, Drawings - Engravings - Zagreb, 1977; Giancarlo Vigorelli: Ivan Lackovic Croata - Geneva 1983; Bozo Biskupic: Ivan Lackovic Croata - Drawings - Zagreb, 1985; Tonko Maroevic: Ivan Lackovic Croata - Magma mater - Zagreb, 1987), etc.