He was born in Duga Resa in 1936. He obtained a degree in graphics from the Academy of Fine Arts in Zagreb, in the class of Prof. Marijan Detoni, in 1961. He was an associate of Krsto Hegedušić’s Master Workshop. He furthered his studies in Paris. From 1978 until his death in 2005, he was a professor at the Academy of Fine Arts in Zagreb. In 1997, he became a full member of the Croatian Academy of Sciences and Arts (HAZU).

He exhibited his first mobile objects, drawings and graphics in 1968, and in the same year, as one of the representatives of Yugoslavia, he participated in the Venice Biennale. In the following years, he exhibited in many important solo and group exhibitions at home and abroad. He won many prestigious awards, and his works have been included in the collections of many world museums and galleries such as MoMa in New York and Tate Gallery in London. He lived and worked in Zagreb. He was an advocate of unorthodox forming practices, which included knowledge of physics and cybernetics, as well as the possibility of imaginative combinations of shapes and colours. His works include drawings, mobile graphics, ambience and video installations. He engaged in graphic design, scenography and interior design. He designed the Croatian coat of arms, Croatian kuna banknotes and the first jersey of the Croatian national football team. In 1981, a documentary was made about him entitled “In Search of Šutej”, directed by Nenad Puhovski. He died in Zagreb in 2005.

He participated in the Mediterranean Sculpture Symposium in 1977.