Ivan Mestrovic (1883 – 1962) was born to a Croatian peasant family on August 15, 1883 in the small town of Vrpolje. He took to carving at an early age, and after overcoming some initial difficulties concerning his education, he gained entrance to the Academy in Vienna. He is best known for his concept for the Kossovo Temple in Yugoslavia, and for the Memorial Chapel to the Racic family at Cavtat. Preferring the freedom of his own conceptions to the dictated conditions of commissioned work, Mestrovic has at various times carried out architectural projects at his own expense. He was the first living person to have a one man show at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City.