Dimensions: 26.5 x 47 cm (in light passe-partout)
signed, dated and described on the reverse: 'JK 70 | JEZDEC VE VLNACH'
Biography
Jiří Kolář is a Czech artist who has worked in the fields of poetry, drama and fine arts. He debuted at the beginning of his career as a writer, while in the late 1950s he turned to the visual arts. He became very popular for his works showing various collage techniques. The artist was the creator of new methods such as intercollage, flylage and rola¿. He described and defined these techniques in Slovnik of Methods, published in 1979. He called his work poetry. Kolář's work was an important reference for Czech culture in the 20th century and a search for new artistic paths. He was one of the founders of the Czech Group 42, consisting of artists and writers. In 1937, his first exhibition was held at Prague's D 37 Theater, where he presented twelve collages showing surrealist features. He began exhibiting again in the early 1960s. In 1969, he participated in the Sao Paulo Biennale. His works were exhibited at the Guggenheim Museum in New York in 1975, among others. Since 1979 he has been in exile, living mainly in Paris. In the late 1990s he returned to Prague, where he lived until his death. In 2012, a monographic exhibition of the artist was held at Krakow's MOCAK. Kolář was greatly inspired by the art of the Dadaists and Surrealists, which is reflected in his works. The artist's paintings depict collages in various forms and variations. At the core of the artist's work is poetry. Kolář oscillates between language, words, images and his own life experiences in his works. Most of Kolář's works are constructed from cut-up reproductions of paintings, photographs or printed texts, which gives the effect of moving structure and broken mirror.... In his techniques, the artist emphasizes that he creates a new work, individual and unique, out of known materials. Using various expressive qualities, he creates works that contain elements of visual poetry, surrealism and existentialist philosophy.
