Ostrava / 1943 -1949

Stanislav Kolíbal (born December 11, 1925 in Orlová) was one of the eminent figures of the Czech post-war art. The catalogue for the first time shows the beginnings of his work ranging in time from his studies at the Reálné gymnázium (secondary school) in Ostrava, from the year 1943 up to the year 1949, when he already lived and studied in Prague. In the thematic sections called End of the War, From the Window and Around, Returns, Ten Etchings and From Reality to Geometry, we have the opportunity to see his unique drawings, watercolours, pen drawings and etchings reflecting Ostrava, its mines, slag heaps and its dark corners.

“My experiences and all the years spent in Ostrava are summed up in the series of drawings which I collected in 1947 around Přívoz, Hrušov and Zárubek. Often these were very lonely places, strewn with junk, with crumbling fences and columns that had no use anymore. I have searched for the still existing workers’ neighbourhoods whose run-down character brought back my childhood memories. It might seem that there is some sort of connection with the philosophy of Group 42, but it is precisely in comparison with it that one can see the major difference...”

Stanislav Kolíbal, 2009 (excerpt from the catalogue)

The book is availabe together with the publication Book drawings / 1947 - 1994 for 990 CZK.