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Victor The Bowman and The Spearman Gregory of Nin statue

He was born in the village of Vrpolje, Croatia. He spent his childhood in Otavice, a small village located on edge of Petrovo field in Dalmatian hinterland. At the age of sixteen, a master stone cutter from Split, Pavle Bilini, noticed his talent and he took him as an apprentice. His artistic skills were improved by studying the monumental buildings in the city and his education at the hands of Bilinis wife, who was a highschool teacher. Soon, they found a mine owner from Vienna who paid for Metrovi to move there and be admitted to the Academy of Fine Arts. He had to quickly learn German from scratch and adjust to the new environment, but he persevered and successfully finished his studies.

Source: Wikipedia