Germann
Saint John the Baptist
Oil on wood
Original catalogue wording
Johannes der Täufer
Öl auf Holz.
Date to be documented
Catalogue reference — sale not confirmed
View the lot at the auction house ↗SwissArtGallery · Documented identity
Ilija Bosilj
Born : 1895Died : 1972
Ilija Bašičević, known as Ilija Bosilj, was born and died in Šid. He was born there in 1895, when the town belonged to the Austro-Hungarian Empire, and died in 1972. After about four years of schooling, he worked on a farm before beginning to paint in 1957. His first major presentation was organised at a gallery in Belgrade in 1963; for his presentations, the painter adopted the name Bosilj.
Biblical subjects, particularly those from the Old Testament, occupy the most important place in his work. Alongside them are motifs drawn from epics, legends and myths, as well as a cycle devoted to real or imaginary animals. Bosilj’s painting is described as allegorical and symbolic rather than descriptive. Perspective is absent from this approach, which favours generalisation and the use of symbols. Among the motifs identified, two-headed beings are interpreted as signs of duplicity.
His exhibition history includes a presentation at Galerie Hilt in Basel in 1969, followed by an exhibition at the Ateneum in Helsinki in 1973. He bequeathed his collection of paintings to his home town; the Museum Ilijanum in Šid is described as the place where the most important collection of his paintings is held. Works are also recorded in the Zander Collection in Cologne, at the Museum of Everything in London, at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Belgrade and at the Centre Pompidou in Paris. Among the documented works is Johannes der Täufer, a painting attributed to Bosilj and described as oil on wood, 535 × 400 mm.
This profile brings together identity references for Ilija Bosilj and paintings, drawings and works on paper documented in auction catalogues.
9 references are documented at Germann, Dobiaschofsky. Each record links to its source; the amounts are not a general valuation of the artist’s work.
Works recorded at auction
Germann
Woman and Birds, 1964
Oil on wood
Original catalogue wording
Woman and Birds, 1964
Öl auf Holz.
Date to be documented
Catalogue reference — sale not confirmed
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Germann
Känguru mit Schmetterling
Oil on painting panel.
Original catalogue wording
Känguru mit Schmetterling
Öl auf Malplatte.
Date to be documented
Catalogue reference — sale not confirmed
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Germann
Himmlischer Reiter
Oil on wood
Original catalogue wording
Himmlischer Reiter
Öl auf Holz.
Date to be documented
Catalogue reference — sale not confirmed
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Germann
Der Heilige Geist
Oil on canvas
Original catalogue wording
Der Heilige Geist
Öl auf Leinwand.
Date to be documented
Catalogue reference — sale not confirmed
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Germann
Fabeltier - roter Vogel
Oil on wood
Original catalogue wording
Fabeltier - roter Vogel
Öl auf Holz.
Date to be documented
Catalogue reference — sale not confirmed
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Germann
Fabelwesen - Vogel
Hinterglasbild. Gouache.
Date to be documented
Catalogue reference — sale not confirmed
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Germann
Fabelwesen
Mixed media on board
Original catalogue wording
Fabelwesen
Mischtechnik auf Karton.
Date to be documented
Catalogue reference — sale not confirmed
View the lot at the auction house ↗Dobiaschofsky · Lot 359
Auf der Jagd.
Oil on canvas
Original catalogue wording
Auf der Jagd.
Öl auf Lwd.
Date to be documented
Published result : 1700 CHF
Fees not specified in the available data
Estimate : CHF 1500
View the lot at the auction house ↗Sources and references
SwissArtGallery documentary note based on the cited sources. Titles, media and qualifications are provided in the profile language; the original catalogue wording remains available in each record.
Documentation updated : 2026-10-19