National Gallery in Prague, Veletržní Palace, first floor respirium

Exhibition Curator: Tomáš Drahoňovský

Architectural Layout: Stanislav Kolíbal

Graphic design of printed materials: Stanislav Kolíbal

Main partner of NG: HVB bank
Main media partner: Hospodářské noviny
Media partners: Art&antique, Classic FM, ČRo 3 - Vltava

“I like purity, the simplicity of a crystal, comprised of a multitude... the harmony of opposites… a serene symmetry, the discipline of infinity, are intoxicating.” 
Zdeněk Šimek, in: Trasa 1969, exhibition catalogue, Prague, 1969

Zdeněk Šimek
April 19, 1927 born in Veselí nad Lužnicí
1946 1951 studies at the Academy of Art, Architecture and Design (VŠUP), in the sculpture studio of Professors Karel Dvořák and Josef Wagner
1953  marries sculptor Dagmar Vinklerová
1964   joins the group Trasa (Route), first solo exhibition in Špála Gallery, Prague
1966   participation in the 1st symposium of sculpture in Bohemia, in Hořice
1967–1969 participation in symposia in Krastal (Austria), Neukirchen, and Oggelshausen (Germany)                                                
October 27, 1970 dies prematurely in Prague from an insidious lung disease
1982 first large retrospective exhibition in Hořice
1999 “In Memoriam” exhibition in Třeboň

For the first time this year, the National Gallery will host the work of the noted Czech sculptor, Zdeněk Šimek. The retrospective exhibition at the first floor respirium is held in cooperation with the artist’s family, who will mark the occasion by publishing the so most extensive catalogue of Šimek’s work to date. The exhibition will feature 81 sculptures, 40 drawings and photographs documenting Šimek’s work at various symposia he participated in. Most of the items on display were loaned by the artist’s family for the exhibit.

Zdeněk Šimek ranks among the most notable representatives of Czech post-war sculpture.
He successfully continued the tradition of Modernist sculpture, which he then developed further, fusing it with the new tendencies in visual arts that appeared in the 1960s. The beginning of his career is tied to the spa town of Mariánské Lázně, for whose springs he created several sculptures (Herons, 1954; Spring, 1956) and the monumental sculptural group Seasons of the Year (1957). Female figure, and human figure were an inspiration to him in the following years, but he would further abstract the perceived reality. The chief material for expressing his ideas was wood, particularly black oak. The elongated figures are defined with several basic geometrical forms (such as his cycle Columns, 1964). In the second half of the 1960s, Šimek was already a respected artist, and his works were represented in both public and private collections. In 1965, he created what he called “intersections of bodies” (Roof, 1965) – in which geometrical elements intersect, and a horizontal division penetrates Šimek’s so-far chiefly vertical sculpture. After 1967, he returned to working with stone, in order to create his most remarkable works. Šimek arrives with a wholly original concept of abstraction, based on a purity of form, summary of shapes, and clearly defined lines of the material. He developed new notions for his works: Mobilites (Mobilit, 1967) are pairs of lentil-shaped forms arranged vertically; Phonolites (Fonolit, 1967) multiply a basic motif, resulting in a long line of repeated elements; Eoliths (Eolit I–III, 1967), are built on a square ground plan open to view from several sides; Kariolit (1968), in contrast to Phonolite, is horizontal. Still, Šimek also continued to work on public commissions (Fountain in Třeboň, 1969–1970).

Exhibition is accompanied by a catalogue.

Opening hours: from 10 a.m. to 18 p.m.
Admission fee: entrance is free 

Contact for journalists:
Marcela Hančilová, tel./fax: 224 301 167, mob.: 724 501 536
e-mail: hancilova@ngprague.cz