He made such progress that,[citation needed] after three years, he was sent to Prague to continue his studies at the "Meisterschule" under the guidance of Otakar Ševčík.

That year he won the annual Austrian "Staatspreis" and soon made artistic tours to Berlin, Vienna, and Genova.

In November 1944, aided by Adlai Stevenson (his nephew by marriage), he went to Washington, D.C. to demand the shipment of medical supplies to the resistance forces.

He personally came to know many high-ranking figures in the Yugoslav government, including Marshal Josip Broz Tito, Georgi Dimitrov of Bulgaria, and Enver Hoxha of Albania.

Tito presented him with the Grand Cross of the Yugoslav Flag in recognition of his artistic and humanitarian achievements benefiting nations.