On 12 April 2015 died an honorary citizen of Ljubljana, academic painter and University professor. In his memory, the City Hall held a mourning session of the City of Ljubljana City Council on 13 April 2015.

The City of Ljubljana bestowed the title of honorary citizen of the capital Ljubljana to Jože Ciuha last year, at a grand meeting of the City of Ljubljana City Council on the day of Ljubljana's public holiday.

The grounds for the appointment read as follows:
"The City of Ljubljana bestows the title of honorary citizen of the capital Ljubljana to academic painter, writer and University professor Jože Ciuha
to honour of a great cosmopolitan whose creativity spans between Ljubljana, Paris and the island Šipan, however, a devoted patriot as well, who is with his unique dialogical visual art a talented painter, discerning illustrator, graphic artist, watercolourist, mosaicist, author of tapestries and author of an extensive magnum opus, and someone who with his distinct artistic stroke marked Slovenian painting of the 20th century since its inception. His fine art together with his literary opus proclaims spiritual freedom in searching for the truth, dwelling in the human depths. With wisdom, in which he was ordained by meeting and studying Eastern religions and cultures, and artistic mastery, he inspired numerous students at home and abroad so that they were able to discover their mission. Having been bestowed honorary membership in the Russian Academy of Arts, French and Austrian national awards and with prominent world galleries welcoming him with widely opened doors as well as permanent collections, such as the Viennese Albertina and London Tate Gallery, the international art public paid tribute to him to become the first living artist to exhibit in the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam and more than three hundred galleries worldwide. This year, on his ninetieth anniversary, he had a retrospective exhibition in at the Jakopič Gallery with excellent turnout. As an artistic medium and critical intellectual with broad knowledge of the literary, cultural and spiritual traditions and scientific achievements of mankind and a world traveller from the East to West, he conducts a dialogue with today's time and world literary artists and poets with serenity, refined lyricism, humour, affected commentary and social satire of the human weaknesses with the famous "monkey kingdom" and mysterious glyphs and sigils from the world of concealed meaning. He endows artwork with the role of "iconographs of human alienation", "an adventure in the development of society and journey into own life", the consciousness of the times and especially the "redemptive freedomness" of artistic creation in the labyrinth of time. It is with deepest respect and admiration that Ljubljana bestows the title of honorary citizen that spreads its reputation in the world to the cosmopolitan, Jože Ciuha."

Jože Ciuha exhibited his works in the most elite galleries around the world. His work has won numerous awards, including the Prešeren Fund Award in 1967 and Jakopič Award in 1981. In 1965 he received the Levstik Award for a children fiction book, and last year he received the Lifetime Achievement Award in the field of book illustration.