Nada Sesar Raffay received her BFA and MFA in Painting & Drawing from Academy of Fine Arts, University of Zagreb, Croatia from 1971 -1976 and she credits Prof Miljenko Stancic and Prof Ferdinand Kulmer as her mentors. She has been a member of the Croatian Association of Artists since 1977. Nada also dedicates her time to lecturing and teaching art, as well as jurying exhibitions.
“Over the past thirty years, my painting directions have evolved to include a number of themes that have affected my personal growth/explorations. My current body of work explores interlacing movement and a topographical approach to landscape through the surface of paint. Through the 2013 Free Form Series, I explored the construction of a personal visual language and interplay of the painted form. The 2010 Release series pushed at the boundaries of formal abstraction, while the 2007 Swing series played with the strength of colour that wove throughout fields of passion.” – Nada Sesar Raffay
1971-1976 BFA & MFA, Painting/Drawing , Academy of Fine Arts, University of Zagreb, Croatia
1968-1971: Faculty of Law, University of Zagreb, Croatia
1987 - present, indoor wall murals
2015 - present, ART instructor/mentor at Art Works Art School, Toronto
2013, Curator at Baka Gallery Café, Toronto
1976-present, On canvas-Commissioned Portraits, Landscape, Seascape, etc.
2006-present, Juror-Artscape Toronto, Art works Art School
2005-'06: Private art instructor
2001-present, Artist Talks / Lecture
2005-2006, Programming broadcaster /Sounds of Croatia, CHIN Radio FM100.
2000, Stage design- A LARGE PAINTING/ Aphrodite Unveiled, Harbourfront Dance Theatre
1996, Gallery Assistant, Deleon White Gallery, Toronto
1989-present, Restoration of fine art paintings, for In Restauro, Toronto
1989, Lecture and Workshop, Toronto Board of Education Annual Meeting: Art-Language Beyond Language, Organized by Ontario Welcome House.
1988, Gallery owner/manager and curator, Alan Gallery, Zaton-Zadar, Croatia
1974, Assistant Costume Designer, Feature Film, “Matija Gubec” with Ferdinand Kulmer, Production Jadran Film, Zagreb, Croatia
Importane Resort Luxury Hotels, Dubrovnik,Croatia
Atelier Architect Madunic Inc.
LORE SALES AND INVESTMENTS LTD
Importane, Zagreb, Croatia
Robic Group International Inc, Brampton,Ontario Canada
eBay Canada,Toronto
Croatian Embassy, Ottawa
Saturnus Nightclub, Zadar, Croatia
Turist Hotel, Zadar, Croatia
1977-Present Croatian Association of Artists - https://www.hdlu.hr/eng/
2023 Sunlight, Roberts Gallery, Toronto
2017 Lost and Found, Baka Gallery, Toronto
2015-2016 Passage, Baka Gallery, Toronto
2015 Storm, Edward Day Gallery, Toronto
2013 Free Form, Edward Day Gallery, Toronto
2011 New Paintings, First Canadian Place Gallery, Toronto
2011 Chromatic Shifts, Edward Day Gallery,Toronto
2010 New paintings, Edward Day Gallery, Toronto
2007-2008: Swing, Edward Day Gallery, Toronto
2006 Architectural Feelings, Edward Day Gallery, Toronto
2005 Passion, Edward Day Gallery, Toronto
2004 Approaching, Edward Day Gallery, Toronto
2002 New Work 2002, Edward Day Gallery, Toronto
2001 New Structures, First Canadian Place Gallery, Toronto
2001: New Structures, Edward Day Gallery, Toronto
1999: Transmutations, The Network Gallery, (First Canadian place),Toronto
1999 Transmutations, Edward Day Gallery, Kingston
1998 Transmutations, Edward Day Gallery, North Gallery, Yorkville / Toronto,ON
1997 New paintings, curated by Shelley Lambe, Knoll Express Showroom, Toronto,
1995 Red Paintings, Rivoli, Toronto
1992 Black and White, Academy of Spherical Arts, Toronto
1992 New paintings and work on paper, George Randolph Fine Art Gallery, Toronto
1989 Gold Series, Kozak Gallery, Toronto
1988 Gold Series, Alan Gallery, Zaton-Zadar, Croatia
1987 Gold Series, Karas Gallery, Zagreb, Croatia
1986 Gold Series, Gina Gallery, Zadar, Croatia
1981 People, Karas Gallery Studio, Zagreb, Croatia
2018 - present, Annual Artists Choice Exhibition, Roberts Gallery, Toronto
2022 - present, Art Toronto, Roberts Gallery, Toronto
2010 Cool-Aid, Edward Day Gallery, Toronto,
2009 Storm of Painters, Edward Day Gallery, Toronto,
2008 Embassy of Croatia, Ottawa
2007-2008 Creative Art Gems, Toronto
2004 Morphia, Edward Day Gallery, Toronto
2004 Group Show First Canadian Place Gallery, Toronto
2001 Toronto International Art Fair, Edward Day Gallery, Toronto
1997-2002 Buschlen-Mowatt Gallery, Vancouver, BC
1996, 1998 Taksu Galley, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
1997 The Commonwealth Games, Taksu Gallery, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
1994 Croatian Art, World Trade Centre, Toronto
1991 Two person show, Curator Natalie Kovacs, Toronto, ON
1989 World Biannual Exhibition of Croatian Art, Metro Convention Center, Toronto
1988 Contemporary Art: Juried Exhibition, Karas Gallery, Zagreb, Croatia
1987 Glamour Behind the Velvet Curtain: Gallery II Diaphragma, Curated by Maja Briski, Milan, Italy
1986 Contemporary Croatian Art, Art MCMXC - Sarajevo, Curated by Maja Briski, Bosnia and Hercegovina
1985 Le Salon Des Nations, Juried Exhibition, Paris, France
1985 El Tempore: International Juried Exhibition, Gallery Sporer, Opatija, Croatia
1984 XIII Recent : Juried Exhibition, Karas Gallery, Zagreb, Croatia
1980 XII Youth Salon : Juried Exhibition, Umjetnicki paviljon, Zagreb, Croatia
1980 Zagreb Salon : Juried Exhibition, Umjetnicki paviljon,Zagreb, Croatia
1979 XI Youth Salon : Juried Exhibition, Umjetnicki paviljon, Zagreb, Croatia
1976 Gallery Dars, Zagreb, Croatia
Arthur Dalfen
The Bronskill Group, Inc., Reg Bronskill,
Robic Group International Inc, John Robic
Emery Investments Ltd,Toronto
LORE SALES AND INVESTMENTS LTD., Janko Herak
Architecture ACT Incorporated, Betty Chee
The Herjavec Group, Robert Herjavec
Baka Communication, John Marion
Importane Marketing Ltd., Toronto/Zagreb, Ciril Zovko
Simplex Electric Corp., Toronto, ON
In Restauro, Toronto, ON
2017- present: Roberts Gallery, Toronto, Ontario
1997-2015: Edward Day Gallery, Toronto, Ontario
1997- 2005: Buschlen-Mowatt Gallery, Vancouver, BC