Giovanni Luppis from Rijeka is among the 38 names from Croatian history whose work has become world heritage, which means that they changed the world through their actions, each in their own way. These are the words of the authors of the exhibition “Croatia to the World”, organized by Večernji list and opened on 12th February in the Home of Croatian Artists in Zagreb. For this occasion, an example of a torpedo that was conceptually invented by Luppis was lent by the Rijeka City Museum from its Technical Collection. It is a model of the TR 45 torpedo from 1946, which until then was one of the most impressive exhibits of the exhibition “Rijeka Torpedo – the First in the World” in the warehouse at Žabica, partly due to its own imposing dimensions, partly because of the easily visible, yellow-coloured warhead, of course without an explosive charge. The torpedo from the Rijeka Museum is one of the largest exhibited objects in the Meštrović Pavilion – Home of Croatian Artists. The monstrosity is five and a half meters long, 45 cm in diameter, weighing one ton. Giovanni Luppis was chosen by exhibition curator Anita Ruso and exhibition producer Damir Kanaet to be included in the ranks of great names such as Ruđer Bošković, Faust Vrančić, Julije Klović, Marko Marulić, Slavoljub Penkala, Ivan Meštrović, Milka Trnina, Andrija Mohorovičić, Nikola Tesla and others. After the exhibition, which remains open until 15th May, the machine will be returned to Žabica.
Photo by Boris Šćitar (Večernji list).
