was born in 1929 in Belgrade. Since 1936, when his father had been appointed as a district veterinary surgeon in Kamnik, Slovenia, he has been living in this town. He passed his primary education in Kamnik, and his secondary education in Ljubljana. After that he enrolled at the Faculty of Medicine in Ljubljana, where he graduated as M. D. Later he worked at the Institute of Anatomy and at the Pharmaceutical Factory "Lek, d. d.", and retired in 1995.
Ivo Kordaš has been active - with various interruptions in his activity - in painting since his early childhood follows all the trends in Arts. Parallel to the interest in his basic education, i. e. medicine, he has always been attracted to the both other worlds, of music and of artistic creativity.
He vividly remembers the pre-war Kamnik where well known Slovene painters were active. Deep memory imprints remained from his encounters with two painters who worked in that time, Cuderman and Koželj. In particular, an everlasting memory have been the frescoe-paintings of Cuderman in the Franciscan church in Kamnik. After WW II there were many painters and sculptors - Maleš, Lanc, Zelenko, Rauter, Homar, Perko, Mihelič, Mayer, Žnidaršič, Bergant - who worked in Kamnik and contributed to its fruitful life. Ivo Kordaš was lucky to be on very friendly terms with many of them.
It was by pure chance that he was introduced to the art of painting by two distinguished teachers - Professors Omersa and Vidmar - already during his high school (i. e. Gymnasium) education. In particular, and an everlasting memory, were moments - led by Pofessor Omersa on Šuštarski most (Shoemaker's bridge) across Ljubljanica river - in preparing a water-colour. Later, during his medical studies, he got acquainted with secrets of painting, sculpturing and engraving in the workshop of Maks Bergant.
Later in his professional career he was guided by the friendly word of Tone Žnidaršič. Presently, Ivo Kordaš keeps close ties with numerous artistic colleagues in their workshops. He stems from an environment in which artistic activity has been strikingly vivid, but in particular during last 25 years.
The intensity of meetings of painters - with formal and not-formal artistic education - in Kamnik is approaching its climax in the last years. This is most certainly due to the efforts of the painter Dušan Lipovec who unfortunately passed away much too early from us.
In this environment of genuine friendship and co-operation the participants are offered desire and strength for variety of planning, to find a meaning of their moment of creativity.
In 1963 he exhibited some of his paintings in the Kos Gallery. In the '60-ies and '70-ies he took part in various artistic meetings, e. g. The Joint Exhibition Kamnik Amateurs at the Veronica Gallery (1963 and 1966); the Ex-Tempore Exhibition in Piran and Gradež (1968, 1969); the Exhibition of Paintings of Yugoslav Physicians in Opatija (1970); the Exhibition of Paintings of Slovene Physicians (1972); the Exhibition of Painings of Employees of the Lek Pharmaceutical Factory (1976). Then, this series of exhibitions is followed by an artistic break for many years.
He resumed his activity in painting only after his retirement in 1995. He has been taking part in Ex-Tempore exhibitions in Piran and Kamnik and in numerous Group exhibitions. In this time period he also set up nine exhibitions in which he has been the only author. He has also created a few public sculptures.
