Ljubomir Tito Stjepan Babić (14 June 1890 – 14 May 1974) was a Croatian artist, museum curator and literary critic.
As an artist, he worked in a variety of media including oils, tempera, watercolour, drawing, etching, and lithography.
He collaborated with director Branko Gavella in creating a series of set designs for the Croatian National Theatre in Zagreb.
[citation needed] Following his father's work transfers, young Ljubo attended elementary school in Slatina, Glina and Jastrebarsko.
After completing high school in 1908, at his father's encouragement he enrolled in the Faculty of Law at Zagreb University, but soon abandoned his studies for painting.
[2] Thanks to a scholarship from Count Teodor Pejačević Babić was able to attend the Academy of Fine Arts, Munich where he studied painting with Angelo Jank (1910–11), and Franz von Stuck (1911–13).
[4] During the 1930s, he visited other schools and institutes around Europe in order to learn from their experience and improve teaching at the Zagreb academy.
[5] In addition to his painting and teaching careers, Ljubo Babić was the first curator of the Modern Gallery in Zagreb (1919) whose inaugural exhibition featured the previously unknown works of Josip Račić.
[2] A journey to Spain in 1920 resulted in an expressive series of paintings, including the powerful black "Fishermen" (Ribari).
This cycle of Spanish street scenes was well received and stands as a high point of Babić's own art and Croatian painting in general.
He was working on what he called "native expression", believing that the landscape, historical experience and folk art could reveal the characteristics of the people.
[2] He was also the founder of the first artistic Puppet Theatre in Zagreb (1920),[6] and his set designs for the Paris Expo in 1925, earned him the Grand Prix.