Jiří Novák - In Motion

The book, coming out together with the first retrospective exhibition, presents and summarizes the work of the relatively little known sculptor Jiří Novák (1922-2010). Novák’s constructivist objects and design implementations using various metals and plastic materials belong among the significant works of Czech sculpture of the second half of the 20th century, mainly due to their constructivist-kinetic features. Motion, derived from natural processes, enters the works through the activity of wind and water, electric energy or the interaction with the viewer – the human impulse. Even in the case of static works, the sense of motion is inherent through the thematization of natural process, of the elements. The artist applied the use of kinetic aspects in small-scale works, but he mainly created larger sculptures which emphasized the space of the new urban architecture. In addition to mobile sculptures, Novák made many static symbolic works for architectural spaces in which the initial thematic content was abstracted into a highly simplified sign. Part of the book is a record of recollections of the artist, a list of selected works and restoration activities, a biography, a bibliography and an English-language summary.