St. Stefan/Villach 1935

The Carinthian Slovenian Valentin Oman was born in 1935 in St. Stefan / Šteben near Villach. From 1958 to 1962 he studied with Hilde Schmid-Jesser at the Academy of Applied Arts in Vienna. In 1963 he completed the special class for printmaking with Riko Debenjak at the Academy of Fine Arts in Laibach / Ljubljana.

In addition to exhibitions at home and abroad, Valentin Oman is involved in public spaces through numerous works. Examples include the artistic design of the Federal High School for Slovenes in Klagenfurt/Celovec, the wall painting and the Piran Stations of the Cross in the Tanzenberg/Plešivec church, as well as the interpreting booth in the University of Klagenfurt/Celovec, which is covered with scrolls of the bilingual place names of Carinthia .

Valentin Oman is, among other things, an honorary doctor from the University of Klagenfurt, a recipient of the Cross of Honor for Science and Art, 1st class, and received the Golden Order of Merit from the Slovenian state. As a Carinthian Slovenian, Valentin Oman is very concerned about the preservation and equal rights of the Slovenian language. He lives and works in Vienna and Finkenstein/Bekštanj.