STATE VISIT TO THE REPUBLIC OF CROATIA - Cultural Evening in Split

At the invitation of Mr. Ante Sanader, Prefect of Split-Dalmatia (left), Her Excellency attended a cultural event at the Meštrović Gallery. She was greeted by Mr. Sanader and Mr. Andro Krstulović Opara, Director of the Meštrović Gallery (right).

Ivan Meštrović (1883 –1962) was a Croatian artist known as one of the greatest sculptors of religious subject matter since the Renaissance, and the first living person to have a one-man show at New York City’s Metropolitan Museum. The gallery is housed in what used to be Meštrović’s summer residence.

Mr. Ante Sanader has been Prefect of Split-Dalmatia since 2005.

During the evening, the Governor General delivered a speech: "As I said recently before UNESCO’s Executive Board, culture must be taken as more than a mere commodity and understood to be key to encouraging our unique contributions to the heritage of humanity."

Canadian delegate and singer Stéphanie Lapointe performed in front of guests.

The Cultural event hosted by the Prefect of Split-Dalmatia County featured Canadian and Croatian artists.