the first symptoms of Parkinson's disease, a tremor in his right hand that would become stronger, increasingly hindering his ability to paint. In 1932, he returned to Zagreb, where he organized a solo exhibition in the Salon Ulrich. In 1935, aged 41, he enrolled in the Academy of Fine Arts, Zagreb, in order to formally earn his academic degree. In 1964, a retrospective of his work was held at the Modern Gallery in Zagreb. In 1967 he received the Vladimir Nazor Award for lifetime achievement. In 1972, a further retrospective of Gecan's work was held at the Art Pavilion. Vilko Gecan died on 25 June 1973 in Zagreb. Legacy In the autumn of 1919, Gecan moved to Prague, joining Milivoj Uzelac, Vladimir Varlaj, Marijan Trepše, Ivo Režek and Frano Kršinić. Together they made the city an important reference for Croatian modern art. There, they picked up the new ideas of secessionism and expressionism, which they brought back to Croatian art. Gecan's most important works were produced in the 1920s and 1930s. By 1921 the beginnings of expressionism were evident in his paintings and drawings. Miroslav Kraljević's legacy shows in the Klinik (Clinic) cycle, where cubism combined with realism and intense colour. His later work tended to be calmer, with less tension, more art deco stylization. Gecan's early work shows free movement and the character stylization that would develop into his signature style. It is known that the first exhibition of Miroslav Kraljević's work in 1912 at the Ulrich Gallery in Zagreb had a significant impact on both Gecan and Uzelac. Gecan continued his education in Munich in 1913, where he broadened his artistic horizons. Gecan's war experience in prisoner-of-war camps had a lasting effect on him. His "Clinic" cycle of 1920, considered a masterpiece of Croatian expressionism, was based on a clinic in Prague, where Gecan was treated for kidney disease. But the paintings depict something closer to a mental hospital with dark characterisations, unsettling black and white rhythms, strange elongated figures, - enclosed spaces with strange characters trapped in them. His experiences in the camps permeated are key to understanding his paintings over the next few years. His uses of visual tension creates a state of anxiety. At the Spring Salon of 1921, Gecan exhibited the painting "Cinik" (The Cynic), which is now considered the most important work of Croatian Expressionist painting. This image derives from cubist and expressionist