Miki Muster was an academic sculptor, yet he created only a few sculptures. From his teenage years onward, he dreamed of making animated films. To achieve this, he became an illustrator with an unstoppable passion, mastering all the secrets of animation as a self-taught artist, so that his cartoon characters could come to life on Slovenian television (we only need to recall the lively trio of rabbits from the television trailer Cikcak). This charming Prekmurje-born Ljubljana resident became a lifelong workaholic, beloved in Slovenia as the creator of the iconic trio Zvitorepec, Trdonja, and Lakotnik. His cast of animated characters was extensive, so let us not forget to mention at least the smallest among them, Lupinica.

Though Miki Muster is no longer with us, his unforgettable desire to entertain a broad audience with a childlike heart, one he shared with Walt Disney, remains. Through this seemingly simple life mission, he evolved from a newspaper illustrator into the foremost name in Slovenian comics. As a master of the fluid black contour line, he remains an inspiration, having relied not on technical aids or modern technology but on the seamless flow of thought, expressed through manual skill, onto paper, where it took on a life of its own. Muster also maintained his physical vitality through swimming, excelling in both the crawl and butterfly strokes.

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You can explore the life and work of Miki Muster at a two-part exhibition organized by the City Museum of Ljubljana and the National and University Library, with the initiative led by Aleksander Buh, the driving force behind Strip.art.nica, and Rok Glavan, head of the Glavan Antiquarian Bookstore.

We extend our heartfelt gratitude to Miklavž Muster for his support and assistance in preparing the exhibition.

The exhibition’s accompanying program is being developed in collaboration with the Slovenian Film Archive at the Archives of the Republic of Slovenia, the Slovenian Animated Film Association, the RTV Slovenia Archive, and the Casablanca production company.