The Monument to Nikola Tesla by Ivan Meštrović: A Friendship Between Two Geniuses

The monumental bronze sculpture of Nikola Tesla, located on a small square at the corner of Masarykova and Preradovićeva streets in Zagreb, is the work of Croatia’s greatest sculptor, Ivan Meštrović.

This monument is uniquely expressive due to the deep, personal connection the artist shared with the famed scientist.

A Long-Awaited Portrait

Tesla was famous for repeatedly refusing the world’s greatest artists who sought to paint or sculpt him. However, in 1939, near the end of his life, he sent a telegram to Meštrović expressing his fervent wish that the sculptor create his portrait with his “magic hand.”

The sculptor replied immediately, offering to create the sculpture free of charge, but noted he was currently tied up with commitments in Europe. Meštrović urged Tesla to visit him in Split or at least send photographs, assuring the scientist that he remembered him “extraordinarily well.” Sadly, the 83-year-old Tesla was too frail for the long journey, and he died in 1943 before he could ever pose for the artist.

Meštrović fulfilled the promise posthumously, creating the Zagreb monument between 1955 and 1956, relying on photographs and personal memories of his friend.

Artistic Vision: The Giant of Smiljan

Meštrović’s depiction of Tesla is far from a heroic or dynamic portrayal. Instead, it is intensely meditative:

Tesla is shown seated, deep in thought, and slightly stooped. His seated posture, relaxed legs, and head propped up by his left hand convey a profound expression of stillness, contemplation, and calm intellectual power.

The monumental 2.5-meter sculpture has a rough, condensed form. This tactile surface suggests the “giant from Smiljan” striving toward the heavens, simultaneously referencing the harshness of the Dinaric region from which both men originated and the immense intellectual strength of the genius. The sculpture effectively invites the viewer to establish both visual and tactile contact with Nikola Tesla.

The Story of the Sculpture’s Location

Today, the monument stands in a central downtown location, having been placed there in 2006 to mark the 150th anniversary of Tesla’s birth. However, this was not its original home:

The sculpture was initially a personal gift from Ivan Meštrović to the Ruđer Bošković Institute in Zagreb, where it stood for a full half-century (since 1956) alongside Meštrović’s sculpture of Ruđer Bošković.

Correspondence between Meštrović and Academician Ivan Supek confirms that the author intended the sculpture to remain permanently in the grounds of the Bošković Institute. Despite this, it was moved to its current central location as part of the 150th-anniversary celebrations.

A Legacy of Mutual Respect

The friendship and mutual respect between Ivan Meštrović and Nikola Tesla are documented in their correspondence, which is preserved in Box 125 of Tesla’s estate at the Nikola Tesla Museum in Belgrade.

The letters, exchanged between 1924 and 1939, show the depth of their bond:

The First Meeting (1924)

Meštrović initiated the contact during a stay in America, writing from a New York hotel: “Esteemed Mr. Tesla, coming here, one of my main wishes was to meet you.” Tesla enthusiastically replied two days later: “Dear and great artist! I gladly received your letter and it will be even dearer to me to meet you in person, as this has been my fervent wish for many years.”

Mutual Admiration (1929)

After visiting Meštrović’s exhibition in Chicago, Tesla wrote to him with visible emotion, praising his work: “I struggled to tear myself away, enthusiastically viewing your beautiful sculptures of the Indian horsemen in a struggle—it is inconceivable how you could express such tremendous physical effort, wild battle passion, and tense, thunderous force in cold bronze…”

Meštrović also wrote about his encounters with Tesla in his memoir, Memories of Political Men and Events (1961), revealing that Tesla was deeply familiar with Croatian literature, knowing nearly all of Ivan Gundulić by heart and holding Ivan Mažuranić in high esteem. Tesla also appreciated Njegoš but, according to Meštrović, neither valued nor respected the reforms of Vuk Karadžić.

Note: In addition to this Zagreb monument, Meštrović created a bronze bust of Tesla in 1952, which is housed in the Nikola Tesla Museum in Belgrade.