SEKA – A tribute by Oscar Diquez

Seka was born in Zagreb on April 10, 1923. Her artistic training began at the Academy of Fine Arts in her hometown (1942-1945). In 1945, she travelled to Paris to study Art History and Archeology at La Sorbonne. At the same time, she attended courses at the Académie de la Grande Chaumière. It was during this period that she took her first steps in ceramics. In 1952, she settled in Venezuela and immediately integrated into the local circuit of ceramics. Her work was regularly exhibited in the applied arts section of the Annual Official Salon of Venezuelan Art and the Salon of Fire Arts organized by Sala Mendoza. In 1972, she was appointed a member of the International Academy of Ceramics (AIC), and in 1979, an honorary member of the Venezuelan Association of Fire Arts (AVAF). Her work is represented in numerous public and private collections around the world, including the Mercantil Collection (Caracas), the National Art Gallery (Caracas), the Museum of Contemporary Art of Caracas, the Museum of Ciudad Bolívar (Venezuela), Simon Bolívar University (Venezuela), the Ariana Museum (Geneva), the Patricia Phelps de Cisneros Collection (New York), the Victoria and Albert Museum (London), the Taipei Fine Arts Museum (Taiwan), the Museum of Contemporary Art (Zagreb), the Museum of Arts and Crafts (Zagreb), and the Museum of Decorative Arts (Prague). Seka passed away in Caracas in 2007.