It is here that mayors, ambassadors, prime ministers and presidents love to be seen, where traditionally five minutes after midnight on New Year's Eve the first annual cultural event of the year in Croatia takes place, and openings attract such a big crowd that Marechal Marmont Street in Split’s city centre is almost impossible to walk through. Welcome to Fotoklub Split, a small photography gallery and club space that celebrates its centennial anniversary this year. And to mark this anniversary, Fotoklub Split is exhibiting some of the incredible works produced by its members, which just so happen to be some of the best photographers Croatia has ever had.

Fotoklub Split’s president and renowned news photographer Fedja Klarić proudly says “Split is the capital of Croatian photography.” To mark the centennial anniversary, a calendar is being produced containing 24 works from past exhibitors at the gallery. Klarić explains “if a photo is worth a thousand words, then those 24 thousand words are saturated with the past, present and future of Split and Croatian photography, whether they are produced by solo artists or members of an excellent school of news photography.” And the future is bright - this year’s winner of the annual exhibition was 16-year-old Lucija Drača.

Fotoklub Split was founded in 1911, but photography came to Split much earlier, with the first professional studio opened by Petar Zink in 1859. Many others were to follow, including Juraj Božičević, the author of the very first photography textbook ever published in Croatia, and Umberto Girometta.

Božičević and Girometta placed an advert in the local newspaper "Sloboda" (Freedom) inviting all those interested to a meeting to set up a photo club. The first formal meeting took place in the movie theatre owned by film pioneer Josip Bepo Karaman, another mythical cultural venue for both Split and Croatia.

However, World War One and Božičević's departure from Split to Zagreb halted progress. According to art historian Duško Kečkemet, over the next few decades artistic events only occurred sporadically. And then, everything exploded in 1950s and 1960s. A brilliant new generation of photographers emerged, including Ante Jaklić, Nikola Vučemilović, Ljubo Garbin and news photographer Andro Damjanić. Neither the importance nor the popularity of these photographers has waned over time: an exhibition of Damjanić’s work held a few months ago became the most viewed photography exhibition in Split in the last ten years.

The tradition of the club's annual exhibition began during the 1950s and 1960s, and its profile began to develop internationally. The International Centre of Art Photography in Paris added the Fotoklub Split’s photographs displayed in the 1962 Paris Biennale to its collection.

Awards for Vučemilović, Garbin, and rest of the gang became regular, and photography became very popular in Split, as reflected in the club’s list of members which includes future journalists, scientists, and even ministers.

Very soon a new generation, influenced by movements in contemporary art, came along, led by Zvonimir Buljević, Aljoša Krstulović, Pero Dragičević, Branko Ostojić, and Ante Verzotti.

The eighties brought another great generation of photographers, especially those from the daily newspaper Slobodna Dalmacija, which was one of the first in the former Yugoslavia to place a greater emphasis on photography. Fotoklub’s current president and news photographer, Fedja Klarić, for example, almost became part of Split’s scenery, being present all over the city with his camera, and his collection of images of everyday life became very popular.

Those who came after him had the opportunity to hone their skills as war news photographers. And they grabbed that opportunity, with Matko Biljak, Božo Vukičević, Tom Dubravec and others working with the biggest news agencies such as Associated Press, Reuters, AFP, etc.

Aside from the truly incredible collection of works within Fotoklub Split, it’s clear therefore that its biggest assets are its members.

Photographs courtesy of Fotoklub Split Archives