Mušič experienced being a refugee even in his childhood during the Great War. He studied at the academy in Zagreb and became familiar with the Dalmatian coast, which reminded him of the Kras. During World War II he was interned in the concentration camp of Dachau; this experience left a crucial mark on his art. He lived in Venice and Paris and was the first Slovenian modernist painter to win recognition in the West. He was awarded several prizes at the biennials in Venice.