Among the most concise descriptions of the painter Zmago Jeraj is the record by Jacqueline Mars from 1998, which encapsulates a good three decades of his creation and is considered his opus, beginning in the 1960s and ending in 2015. Summary:
Of Slovenian origin, after completing his classical studies at the Academies of Fine Arts in Ljubljana and Belgrade from 1955-60 and again in Ljubljana from 1964-66, and at Hornsey College in London, Zmago Jeraj began to search for his path through drawing, pastel, watercolor, oil, etching, art photography, scenography… Zmago Jeraj establishes his sur-expressionist motivation with European encounters through important Western art centers, which enabled him to become acquainted with the media of Western countries.
Since then, he has begun to give a hard-to-define stamp from which his personality erupts, radiating from the feverish spirit of phantasmagoria, imagination, dreaminess… thus representing the unforeseen diversity of his new look to lovers of originality.
In fifteen years, his works have left Europe for South Korea, the Soviet Union, Lithuania, the United States, Argentina… where he was received as an ambassador of contemporary Slovenian art around the world.
Changes in his country have also marked his very personal style, now turbulent, unclear, imprecise, or overloaded, which occasionally calms down, his palette becomes clearer, intertwined and unnatural contents are arranged, and integrity is reasserted within the unusual in dizzying compositions, in which the mysterious and burlesque often clash, apocalyptic scenes cling to them, lest they completely fall apart… Zmago Jeraj is – among other high Slovenian, former Yugoslavian, and foreign honors – the recipient of the Medaille de Vermeil with special recognition from the Académie Internationale de Lutece, of which he has been a member since 1986. He is honored by inclusion in Who International. Several authors have dedicated their studies to his work. Zmago Jeraj, one of the pioneers of new Slovenian art, is an extraordinary character, where extremes meet.
The most current biography of Zmago Jeraj was prepared by UGM (The University Library Maribor), where they also set up a study room named after him.
He was born on November 9, 1937, in Ljubljana.
In 1955, he enrolled in the painting studies at the Academy of Fine Arts in Ljubljana and completed his studies in 1960 at the Academy in Belgrade under Prof. Zora Petrović. He completed his specialization in 1967 with Prof. Gabrijel Stupica at the Academy of Fine Arts in Ljubljana, and his postgraduate studies in 1969 at the printmaking department of Hornsey College in London.
In 1971, he traveled to the Soviet Union and Poland to study ancient Russian painting and Polish poster art.
He moved to Maribor in 1962 and left a significant mark on the city as a prolific creator. He worked as an art educator at the Bojan Ilich Primary School and the Third Gymnasium, and organized several student exhibitions. He wrote art critiques and essays on art. He was a recognized photographer, a member of the famous Maribor circle, and the initiator of their groundbreaking exhibition in 1971, which marked Yugoslav photography. He was involved in graphic design, creating numerous book designs for the Obzorja publishing house and designing the magazine Dialogi for several years. As a scenographer, he collaborated with the Slovenian National Theatre Maribor and the Slovenian National Theatre Celje.
He held numerous positions in professional associations. He was the president of the Art Council of the Association of Slovenian Fine Artists (1976–1977), president of the Maribor Artists’ Association (1991), and chairman of the management board of the Union of Slovenian Fine Artists’ Associations (2000–2001).
He was employed as a professor of painting and drawing at the Academy of Fine Arts (1996–2007), the last four years as an associate professor.
He received numerous awards, including the most important Slovenian awards in the field of culture and fine arts. Among them, the Jakopič Award in 1991 for achievements in the visual arts field, the Glazer Award in 2008, and the Prešeren Award in 2009, both for lifetime achievement.
His extensive oeuvre is characterized by the exploration of different art genres, resulting in diversity in style, content, and technique. His works are included in the collections of several museums and galleries at home and abroad and in several overviews of Slovenian art of the 20th century and individual reviews of the most important world artists.
He died on March 28, 2015, in Maribor.
© Zmago Jeraj Art Collection 2026
