Boris Buzan was born in Opatija, in the Austro-Hungarian province of Istria, which was awarded to Italy after World War I and conveyed to Yugoslavia after World War II. Italian oppression of the Slovene inhabitants drove him to the United States in 1930, and he soon became a citizen. He studied at the National Academy's School of Fine Arts in New York City and was guided by such sculptors as Sidney Waugh, Paul Manship, Walker Hancock, Charles Hinton, Ivan Olinsky, and Ivan Meštrović.
He created designs and covers for Collier's and Life magazines and served as translator in the World War II Office of Censorship in New York City where he met his future wife, Pauline Shubel. After the war, he moved to Laguna Beach, California, to work in the art department of David O. Selznick at RKO-Pathé Studios. Boris and Pauline got married at the San Juan Capistrano Mission on February 17, 1945. They had three children. Buzan was a regular exhibitor at the Festival of Arts where the family could be found most summer evenings. The Buzans owned restaurants twice and tried out many different activities. Later in life, Buzan excelled in ceramic art as well as the medal. He created many public murals of which only one appears to have survived.
There is not much information available about Boris Buzan's life, artistic or personal. If you know anything about him that we have not been able to find, we would love to hear it!
Sourced mainly from American Art Medals by David Thomason Alexander and the listed resources.
