Martin Jonaš
Martin Jonaš was a Serbian naïve artist of Slovak ethnicity.
Life and work
Martin Jonaš was born on May 9, 1924 in Kovačica, where he spent his entire life, both as a farmer and artist. He started painting in 1945 and participated in over 450 individual and group exhibitions.His solo exhibitions were held in various places in former Yugoslavia, as well as Switzerland, Israel, France, Finland, Norway, USA, and elsewhere. Alongside Salvador Dalí, he won a gold medal at the international drawing exhibition in Italy in 1978. His paintings were characterized by a visually unique way of depicting human figures, with oversized hands and feet, giving special recognition to physical work.
Jonaš died in Pančevo, on January 31, 1996. The National Museum of Pančevo marked the 25th anniversary of his death with a special exhibit in 2021.
In 2024, the Republic of Serbia issued a commemorative postage stamp edition, honoring the centennial of Jonaš's birth. The edition features Jonaš's paintings Dom na dlanu and Muškarac i žena na klupi , as well as works from other notable Kovačica naive artists including Pavel Hajko, Jan Glozik, and Zuzana Vereski.