(Prague 1926–1974) Untitled, 1968, signed and dated Medek 68, oil, enamel on canvas, 120 x 79.5 cm, framed We thank Adela Procházková for her kind assistance with cataloguing of this lot. The work will be listed in the upcoming Catalogue Raisonné of Mikuláš Medek issued by the Medek Family. Provenance: Collection Christoph Wilhelmi, South Germany Thence by descent to the present owner Mikuláš Medek describes the process of painting as a direct imprint of reality without any distance - that is, "no longer a mirror, a testimony, something as if from the other shore, but something that directly realizes the great turmoil and anxiety, something that is directly within him. The previously optically legible definition of the relation to the world, is intensified into an optically independent element of the prepared image by the progression to non-figurative expression." (Mikuláš Medek, Texts, 1995, p. 208 and p. 250)
(Prague 1926–1974) Too Deep a Sleep V, 1966, signed, dated, titled and inscribed Příliš těžký spánek, M. Medek 1966 Hamburk on the reverse, oil, enamel on canvas, 163.5 x 106 cm, framed We thank Adela Procházková for her kind assistance with cataloguing of this lot. The work will be listed in the upcoming Catalogue Raisonné of Mikuláš Medek issued by the Medek Family Provenance: Collection Christoph Wilhelmi, South Germany Thence by descent to the present owner Exhibited: Galerie Rudolfinum, Prague, Mikuláš Medek, April 25 - August 18, 2002, exhib. cat. Prague 2002 with full page col.-ill. National Gallery Prague, Mikuláš Medek - Naked in the thorns, September 11, 2020 - January 31, 2021 There are themes that run throughout the entire oeuvre of Mikuláš Medek, evolving over time, assuming different contexts, and acquiring new meanings. Among the most central of these is the depiction of a human figure resting its head on a table. This motif conveys a withdrawal from one’s surroundings, a turning inward, and a distancing from the external world. Too Deep a Sleep (1966) forms part of a group of works concerned with sleep, alcohol, and alcohol-induced sleep. Whereas his depictions of sleep in the 1950s were still subject to a pronounced figuration, by the late 1960s he had reduced their physical volume to an extreme minimum. In its further development, the head becomes a square, and with an increasingly pronounced geometrisation the sleeping figure approaches the threshold of its own abstraction. Medek’s first biographer, Bohumir Mraz, interpreted these works in the context of the self-portrait: “The idea that runs so insistently through Medek’s work and finds expression in ever different ways is a profoundly Romantic one: ‘The only joy one can still experience in a state of exhaustion is the joy of sleep; the exhausted seek rest, outstretched limbs, silence – this is the happiness of a nihilistic religion and philosophy’ (Nietzsche)” (B. Mraz, Mikuláš Medek, Prague, 1970, pp. 27–28). Mikuláš Medek is one of the most significant figures in twentieth-century Czech visual art. Undeterred by the restrictions imposed by the Communist government of the time, he persistently pursued creative freedom. His brother, Ivan Medek, recalled the constraints to which he was subjected as an artist: “My brother (...) ranked among the most outstanding and most interesting artists of the 1960s, despite the fact that he was not allowed to exhibit his works and his painting could only be seen in his flat. It was a big flat near the Vltava River in Prague. It was a very peculiar case - he was a popular artist but could only work at home. But our flat was always full of people from all over the world, who wanted to see his pictures.” View of sleep with a dream, about a dream, of a dream Depiction of sleep with a dream, about a dream, of a dream Depiction of a view of sleep with a dream, about a dream, of a dream Picture about the view of sleep with a dream, about a dream, of a dream Painted (Painted) picture about the view of a sleep with a dream, about a dream, of a dream The Last Sleep of Great Alcohol (Mikuláš Medek, Notes, 1966, quoted after exhib cat National Gallery Prague, Mikuláš Medek - Naked in the Thorns, 2020)
oil and enamel on canvas, 60 x 45 cm, signed and dated lower right: MEDEK 73, verso on the blind frame old label CFVU with the price tag. Provenance: collection of a significant Slovak plastic surgeon. Publicated: Naked in the Thorns, Mikulas Medek, Lenka Bydzovska and Karel Srp in cooperation with Michal Novotny, published by National Gallery in Prague in 2020, reproduced under no. 159. Exhibited: Naked in the Thorns, Mikulas Medek, National Gallery in Prague (Wallenstein Riding Hall, Convent of St. Agnes of Bohemia, Trade Fair Palace), 11. 9. 2020—10. 1. 2021. Consulted with Dr Irena Zantovska Murray HonFRIBA, Professor Jaromir Zemina, Dr Jiri Machalicky and Vladimir Lekes. Authenticity certificate enclosed. In 1973, Medek created his last planned cycle, Moving Graves, supplemented by a limited quantity of works smaller in scale but no less significant, including the canvas on offer. The symbolic composition of Prisms, composed of several geometric shapes, resembles the entrance to a mysterious cave or fortress with a red ball at the end. To create the spatial structure of the painting, the artist used oil paint and enamel, which became the key to achieving his stunning and difficult-to-imitate technique.
1954 | technique: pencil on paper | 26 x 42 cm | signature: bottom right | framed under glass Bidders are obliged to inform themselves about the condition of the lots before the auction, subsequent complaints will not be taken into account. This is an automatically generated English translation from the original Czech text using deepl.com and is intended for reference only – it does not constitute a legally binding statement of the lot's properties. Please note that we can only guarantee the accuracy of the description and condition as stated in the original Czech version.
(Prague 1926–1974) Tower Planner’s Head VI, 1968, signed, dated and titled on the reverse Hlava projektanta věží VI, M. Medek 1968, oil, enamel on canvas, 110 x 70 cm, framed We thank Adéla Procázková for her kind assistance with cataloguing of this lot. The work will be listed in the upcoming Catalogue Raisonne of Mikuláš Medek issued by the Medek Family. Provenance: Collection Christoph Wilhelmi, South Germany Thence by descent to the present owner Exhibited: Galleria La Bartesca, Genova, Mikuláš Medek, June 1967, exhib. cat. Genova 1967 with col. ill.
(Prague 1926–1974) Two Inquisitors II, 1967, signed, dated and titled, inscribed Dva inkvizitoři II, M. Medek 67 Genova on the reverse, oil, enamel on canvas, 130 x 160 cm, framed We thank Adéla Procázková for her kind assistance with cataloguing of this lot. The work will be listed in the upcoming Catalogue Raisonne of Mikuláš Medek issued by the Medek Family. Provenance: Collection Christoph Wilhelmi, South Germany Thence by descent to the present owner Exhibited: Galleria La Bertesca, Genova, Mikuláš Medek, June 1967, exhib. cat. Genova 1967 with full page col-ill. Over the course of his life, Mikuláš Medek (1926–1974) produced an œuvre of nearly four hundred works, evolving from his early expressionist and, to some extent, cubist paintings through a phase of engagement with Surrealism and Existentialism, before arriving at an Informel mode of expression leaning towards abstraction, and finally returning to a figuration imbued with architectural and morphological structure. His paintings became widely known only after the end of totalitarian communism in Czechoslovakia. During his lifetime, he—like many others—was politically sanctioned as an artist, and his works were repeatedly proscribed, being considered to stand “in stark contradiction to the function of art within a socialist society.” For a time, churches were the only public spaces where his art could be shown, and it was there that he created large-scale altarpieces. After 1970, he exhibited almost exclusively abroad. In 1965 he created the painting Two Inquisitors II. Whilst the term Inquisition usually refers to the judicial procedures established from the late Middle Ages onwards to combat heresy, Medek reinterpreted this historical concept in a modern sense. In this painting, it alludes to the state monitors of his own time—the censors. After 1964, the reins were slightly loosened by the cultural authorities, as increasing indifference towards artists spread within the Party. Yet, following the brief liberalisation of the Prague Spring, the situation was swiftly reversed in 1969. In a 1951 essay, Mikuláš Medek and his partner Emila Medková wrote that the inner image is not an autonomous product of the subconscious, but a reality “which encompasses our trembling subjects, a reality seen through our entire body—reality, existence, nothingness, the reality of consciousness.”
MIKULÁŠ MEDEK (1926 Prague 1974) Žíznivý anděl. 1973. Oil and enamel on canvas. Signed, dated and titled verso: "Žíznivý anděl" Mikuláš Medek 1973. 170 × 120 cm. Provenance: - Artist's studio. - Private collection, Switzerland, acquired directly from the artist in 1973. Exhibited: Prague 2002, Mikuláš Medek, Galerie Rudolfinum, 25.4.–18.8.2002, cat. no. 155 (with ill.). Our thanks to Adéla Procházková, grandaughter of Mikuláš Medek, for the confirmation of authenticity of the work, 24.2.2025. The work will be included in the forthcoming catalogue raisonné of Mikuláš Medek. ------------------------------------------------- MIKULÁŠ MEDEK (1926 Prag 1974) Žíznivý anděl. 1973. Öl und Emaille auf Leinwand. Verso signiert, betitelt und datiert: "Žíznivý anděl" Mikuláš Medek 1973. 170 × 120 cm. Provenienz: - Künstlerstudio. - Privatsammlung Schweiz, 1973 direkt vom Künstler erworben. Ausstellung: Prag 2002, Mikuláš Medek, Galerie Rudolfinum, 25.4.–18.8.2002, Kat. S. 155 (mit Abb.). Wir danken Adéla Procházková, Enkelin von Mikuláš Medek, für die Bestätigung der Authentizität des Werks, 24.2.2025. Das Werk wird in das sich in Vorbereitung befindende Werkverzeichnis von Mikuláš Medek aufgenommen.
MIKULÁŠ MEDEK (1926 Prague 1974) Sensitivni manifestace IV. 1963. Oil and enamel on canvas. Signed and dated lower right: MEDEK 63, as well as signed, dated and titled on the reverse: Sensitivni manifestace IV M. Medek 1963. 170.5 × 120 cm. Provenance: - Artist's studio. - Private collection, Switzerland, acquired directly from the artist in 1973. Exhibited: Prague 2002, Mikuláš Medek, Galerie Rudolfinum, 25.4.–18.8.2002, cat. p. 89 (with ill.). Our thanks to Adéla Procházková, grandaughter of Mikuláš Medek, for the confirmation of authenticity of the work, 24.2.2025. The work will be included in the forthcoming catalogue raisonné of Mikuláš Medek. As a central figure in Czech post-war art, in his work Mikuláš Medek combined precision of technique with a psychological and symbolic dimension. From the 1960s onwards, he developed an unmistakable visual language that is situated between abstraction, Informel and an existentially charged symbolism - a language that was strongly shaped by personal experiences, spiritual questions and social upheavals. These two large-format works from 1963 also belong to this phase. These works were created during a brief moment of cultural opening in Czechoslovakia, a few years before the Prague Spring. During this time, abstract art was at least temporarily possible, and Medek consistently utilised this freedom to distance himself from the official understanding of art in the socialist era. The paintings from this period are a prime example of Medek's uncompromising, individual approach to painting and are now regarded as key works in his oeuvre as a whole - as an expression of an artistic stance that is both aesthetically and politically opposed to any form of official control. During this period, he worked intensively on developing his characteristic treatment of the picture surface: multi-layered applications of colour, incisions and relief-like structures create dense, haptic pictorial spaces. The richly textured, almost bruised appearance is indicative of Medek's engagement with the painted surface. From early on, he began to use enamel paint alongside oil in order to intervene even more directly in the materiality of the work. Medek's targeted use of black, blue and red is particularly striking - colours that always appear symbolically heightened in his oeuvre and often speak to the emotional or metaphysical realms. His works from this period seem like encrypted systems - interwoven with forms reminiscent of bodies, apparatus or organic structures. Their exact function remains open, but they are characterised by a strong visual presence - a feature that also distinguishes the works on offer here at auction. ------------------------------------------------- MIKULÁŠ MEDEK (1926 Prag 1974) Sensitivni manifestace IV. 1963. Öl und Emaille auf Leinwand. Unten rechts signiert und datiert: MEDEK 63, sowie verso signiert, betitelt und datiert: Sensitivni manifestace IV M. Medek 1963. 170,5 × 120 cm. Provenienz: - Künstlerstudio. - Privatsammlung Schweiz, 1973 direkt vom Künstler erworben. Ausstellung: Prag 2002, Mikuláš Medek, Galerie Rudolfinum, 25.4.–18.8.2002, Kat. S. 89 (mit Abb.). Wir danken Adéla Procházková, Enkelin von Mikuláš Medek, für die Bestätigung der Authentizität des Werks, 24.2.2025. Das Werk wird in das sich in Vorbereitung befindende Werkverzeichnis von Mikuláš Medek aufgenommen. Ab den 1960er-Jahren entwickelt Mikuláš Medek seine unverwechselbare Bildsprache, die zwischen Abstraktion, Informel und existenziell aufgeladener Symbolik angesiedelt ist – eine Malerei, die stark von persönlichen Erfahrungen, spirituellen Fragen und gesellschaftlichen Umbrüchen geprägt ist. Auch die beiden vorliegenden, grossformatigen Arbeiten aus den Jahren 1963 und 1973 reihen sich in diese Phase ein. Entstanden sind diese Werke in einem Moment kultureller Öffnung in der Tschechoslowakei, wenige Jahre vor dem Prager Frühling. In dieser Zeit ist abstrakte Kunst zumindest vorübergehend möglich und Medek nutzt diesen Freiraum konsequent, um sich vom offiziellen Kunstverständnis der sozialistischen Ära abzusetzen. Die Gemälde aus jener Phase stehen exemplarisch für Medeks kompromisslosen, individuellen Zugang zur Malerei und gelten heute als Schlüsselwerke seines Gesamtwerks – als Ausdruck einer künstlerischen Haltung, die sich sowohl ästhetisch als auch politisch gegen jede Form der Vereinnahmung stellt. In dieser Zeit arbeitet er intensiv an der Entwicklung seiner charakteristischen Oberflächentechnik: Mehrschichtige Farbaufträge, Ritzungen und reliefartige Strukturen erzeugen dichte, haptisch wirkende Bildräume. Die reich strukturierte, fast wie verletzt wirkende Oberfläche verweist auf Medeks Auseinandersetzung mit dem Malgrund. Schon früh beginnt er, neben Öl auch Emaillefarbe zu verwenden, um noch direkter in die Materialität des Bildes eingreifen zu können. Besonders markant ist Medeks gezielter Einsatz von Schwarz, Blau und Rot – Farben, die in seinem Œuvre stets symbolisch überhöht erscheinen und häufig emotionale oder metaphysische Ebenen ansprechen. Seine Arbeiten dieser Zeit wirken wie verschlüsselte Systeme – von Formen durchzogen, die an Körper, Apparaturen oder organische Strukturen erinnern. Ihre genaue Funktion bleibt offen, doch sie zeichnen sich durch eine starke visuelle Präsenz aus – ein Merkmal, durch das auch die zur Auktion kommenden Werke bestechen.
The drawing is a juvenile work of Mikuláš Medek from the time when he studied at the Secondary Industrial School of Graphic Arts under Karel Müller, and also a remarkable document supplementing the knowledge of his rich work. In this case, Medek limited himself to a minimum of artistic means and thus succeeded in creating a concise, yet concise portrait of Vítězslav Nezval. Nezval's personality is well complemented here by the wittily chosen attributes of a café table and a glass of wine. Technique: pencil, blue chalk, paper, Signed: sign. lower center: Medek 43
(Prague 1926–1974) Sudden Incident on the Border of Yellow IV, 1967, signed, dated, titled and inscribed Náhá príhoda na žluté hranici, M. Medek 67 Genova on the reverse, oil, enamel on canvas, 120.5 x 75.5 cm, framed We thank Adéla Procházková for her kind assistance with cataloguing of this lot. The work will be listed in the upcoming Catalogue Raisonné of Mikuláš Medek issued by the Medek Family. Provenance: Collection Christoph Wilhelmi, South Germany Thence by descent to the present owner Exhibited: Galleria La Bertesca, Genova, Mikuláš Medek, June 1967, exhib. cat. Genova 1967 with col. ill. (photo upside down) Galerie Rudolfinum, Prague, Mikuláš Medek, April 25 - August 18, 2002, exhib. cat. Prague 2002, p. 136 with col. ill.
(Prague 1926–1974) Thirsty Angel V (Annunciation) - Bounded Angel, 1971, signed and dated Medek 71, oil, enamel on canvas, 170 x 120 cm, framed We are grateful to Adéla Procházková for her kind assistance in cataloging this work. Provenance: Kunstkreis Leinfelden - acquired there by the present owner in 1972 Private Collection South Germany Exhibited/Literature: Kunstkreis Leinfelden, Mikulás Medek, 8 – 24 May 1970 Museum Bochum, Mikulás Medek 1926 – 1974, 11 December 1976 – 16 January 1977, Bochum 1976, cat. no. 21 (there titled Gefesselter Engel) Pavla Pečinková, Contemporary Czech Painting, East Roseville 1993, p. 97 with b/w.-ill. (there titled Thirsty Angel V (Annunciation) an dated 1970) Galerie Rudolfinum, Prague, Mikulás Medek, 25 April - 18 August 2002 (there titled Gefesselter Engel) National Gallery Prague, Mikulás Medek, Naked in the thorns, 11 September 2020 – 10 January 2021, Prague 2020, p.181 with col.-ill. In a 1951 treatise, Czech artist Mikulas Medek and his partner Emila Medkova wrote that the inner image is not an autonomous product of the subconscious, but a reality "that encompasses our trembling subjects, a reality that is seen through our whole body, reality, existence, nothingness, reality of consciousness." Over the course of his life, Mikulas Medek (1926-1974) created an oeuvre of almost 400 works, ranging from his early expressionist and, to a lesser extent, cubist works, through an approach to surrealism and existentialism, to a style leaning towards abstraction known as Informalism, before finally returning to figuration imbued with architectural morphology. His paintings only became more widely known after the end of totalitarian communism in the Czech Republic; during his lifetime, he was - like many others - politically sanctioned and his paintings were repeatedly placed on the index of prohibited work, as they stood in "blatant contradiction to the task of art in a socialist society". For a time, churches became the only publicly accessible spaces for his art, where he created large-format altarpieces. He exhibited exclusively abroad from 1970 on. In 1971, three years before his early death due to illness, he created the painting Thirsty Angel V. It is from a multi-part "angel" series whose head structures resemble a biomorphic microscopic cross-section of plant tissue. The crystalline-translucent structure of these metallic blue and golden red images open up the orphic associative space of a world dominated by sacred, hallucinogenic, and symbolic parables to the viewer. They appear as kaleidoscopes of human suffering, spiritual doubt, and physical pain. However, they also show the free spirit within a mechanically bound shell that cannot be imprisoned despite its frosty environment and evoke the colourful, upward-striving stained glass windows of stone churches.
František Bukeš was initially influenced by surrealist work, but later he turned to the imagination of Vladimír Boudník, Jaroslav Šerých and especially Mikuláš Medek. He writes about his painting, "Prenatáč" is an attempt at a self-portrait, a kind of my Mona Lisa, and at the same time an image that went through the Velvet Revolution. I started painting it sometime before the seventeenth of November and finished it after the keys jingled. On that day we had a party in the concierge's flat and drank nine champagnes. The painting was still wet and hanging over the couch. The exuberance built up until the lapiduch Petr (a renowned publisher after the revolution) waved his hand behind him and blurred his eye. At that moment I sobered up, packed up the injured painting, went down to the boiler room where I had my studio, and spent the rest of the morning repairing the eye, which eventually looked more vivid than the original one..." Technique: Mixed media, canvas, Signed: Lower left "Bukeš 89"
Property from a London Private Collection Mikuláš Medek Czech 1926 - 1974 Gold Cry I (Zlatý Křik I) signed and dated MEDEK 68 lower right oil and enamel on canvas Unframed: 120.5 by 80.5cm., 47½ by 31¾in. Framed: 122.7 by 83.6cm., 48¼ by 33in. This work will be included in the forthcoming Mikuláš Medek catalogue raisonné being prepared by Eva Kosáková Medková and Adéla Prochazkova. Bid on Sotheby's
Property from a British Private Collection Mikuláš Medek Czech 1926 - 1974 Untitled dated and signed 60 Medek incised upper right oil and enamel on canvas laid on board Unframed: 35.5 by 52cm., 14 by 20½in. Framed: 54.3 by 70.7cm., 21¼ by 27¾in. This work will be included in the forthcoming Mikuláš Medek catalogue raisonné being prepared by Eva Kosáková Medková and Adéla Prochazkova. Bid on Sotheby's
MIKULÁŠ MEDEK (1926-1971) Sorrow of the IVth Inquisitor 1965 signed and dated 65; signed, titled and dated 65 on the reverse oil and enamel on canvas 129.5 by 180.5 cm. 51 by 71 1/16 in. For further information on this lot please visit the Bonhams website
A RED ACTOR 1968 Mixed media - oil and enamel on canvas, 120x74 cm, signed and dated lower right "MEDEK 68". Framed. Provenance: The collection of Alexandr Skalicky. Lit.: Vratislav Effenberger, Anna Farova, Antonin Hartmann, Mikulas Medek (exhibition catalogue), Rudolfinum Prague 2002, p. 125.
A SMALL BLUE BORING (SAD) PAINTING 1966 Mixed media - oil and enamel on canvas, 130x85 cm. Signed, dated and titled on the stretcher "M. Medek 1966 maly modry smutny obraz". Framed. Provenance: The collection of Alexandr Skalicky. Lit.: Vratislav Effenberger, Anna Farova, Antonin Hartmann, Mikulas Medek (exhibition catalogue), Rudolfinum Prague 2002, unpaged.
Mikulas Medek Czech, 1926-1974 Flight of Time Signed with artist's mark (ur) Acrylic on canvas 18 1/4 x 13 3/8 inches (46.4 x 34 cm) Unframed Provenance: Art Centrum Czechoslovak Center for Fine Arts, Prague Purchased from the above in 1971 by Emily McFadden Harrison Staempfli Thence by descent to Randolph Harrison Thence by descent to the estate C Estate of Randolph Harrison
MIKULAS MEDEK (CZECH 1926-1974) Visage, bleu signed with initial and dated M 70 (lower right) ink and wash 52.7 x 33.8 cm (20 3/4 x 13 3/8 in) PROVENANCE: Eli Wallitt, Geneva, acquired directly from the artist in 1969 See note to previous lot
MIKULAS MEDEK (CZECH 1926-1974) Visage, rose signed and dated MEDEK 67 (lower right) ink and wash 52.2 x 34 cm (20 1/2 x 13 3/8 in) PROVENANCE: Eli Wallitt, Geneva, acquired from the artist in 1969 Medek’s startling and disconcerting imagery ensured that he was one of the most original voices within the Czech visual arts to emerge after the Second World War. The style of this and the following lot bear some comparison with the work of Max Ernst, including the abstraction of figural elements, the essential flatness of the motifs and the artist's innovative use of his medium. But unlike Ernst, whose work always retained an underlying sense of decoration, Medek's rarely incorporated such distractions. Rather they express an unremitting sense of anonymity and dislocation, the facial forms retaining an insistent impersonality. That Ernst informed Medek’s style is not surprising. Prague had been a hot-bed of Surrealist activity since the 1920s. Up until the Second World War and well into the 1950s there were many and diverse exchanges between Surrealists in Paris and their counter parts in Prague. But as divisions and dissensions grew among the group in the post-War years, so Medek retreated from the public gaze to create a wholly new and more inscrutable aesthetic during the 1960s. The tenor of his work reflected the political climate, Medek’s anxious imagery a response to the repression of the country during Communist rule, and the hectoring of the Soviet Union in particular.
Mikuláš Medek 1926–1974 Floral Signal II, 1964 unten links signiert MEDEK rückseitig erneut signiert und auf Chassis bezeichnet Mikulás MEDEK KVETINOVÝ SIGNAL ÚNOR 1964 PRAHA 25. 2 1964 RefCon17920
MIKULAS MEDEK (CZECH 1926 - 1971) Abstract figure signed, dated and dedicated For Mrs and Mr Eli Wallitt / with many / greetings / M. Medek '69 (lower right) pen and ink wash and gouache 56 x 37 cm (22 x 14 1/2 in) PROVENANCE: Acquired from the artist by Mr and Mrs Eli Wallitt in 1969 The mysterious spectral presence of the present composition confirms Medek’s position as one of the most original voices within the Czech visual arts to emerge since the Second World War. Undeterred by the strictures of the Communist government of the day, the artist was persistent in his quest for creative freedom. And the unique character of Medek’s work remains as sinister and startling to us now as it was when the artist was alive. In style and composition the work bears some comparison with the paintings and sculptures of Max Ernst: the worked surface, the forms and symbols, the abstraction of figural elements, the essential flatness of the motif. But unlike Ernst, whose work always retained an underlying sense of decoration, this work incorporates no such distraction. Rather it exhibits an unremitting sense of anonymity and dislocation, the mouth and beak emerging from the darkness with an aggressive impersonality. That Surrealism informed Medek’s style is not surprising. Prague had been a hot-bed of Surrealist activity since the 1920s. Up until the Second World War and well into the 1950s there were many and diverse exchanges between Surrealists in Paris and their counter parts in Prague. But as divisions and dissensions grew among the group in the post-War years, so Medek retreated from an overtly figurative style, to create a wholly new more inscrutable aesthetic during the 1960s. The tenor of his work reflected the political climate, Medek’s anxious imagery suggesting the repression of the country during Communist rule, and the hectoring of the Soviet Union in particular.
Painter Mikuláš Medek occupies a leading position in Czech post-war art due to the original expression, profound meaning, and unique spirituality of his work. He also proved his artistic independence and spiritual dimension during the communist regime, which was a harsh adversary of modern art and free thought. In each of his early paintings he addresses new, deep problems that border on questions of life itself, with a style building on pre-war Surrealism |that is assisted by the extremely precise descriptiveness of the objects depicted and the narrative |accentuating the emotional impact on the viewer, creating an imaginative space and developing the popular medieval concept of the painting-within-a-painting. He builds the composition from several seemingly independent objects connected with differing actions that he occasionally undertook with his wife, Emila Medková, and reflected the artist's physical states and psychoanalytical thoughts. His characters are set in empty, tight spaces delineated by orthogonal and transversal lines| his own style of Mannerist, puppet-like figures are executed with exact outlines. In Medek’s work, the deformation of the original concrete model is attached to feelings of feverish hallucinations, with elongated hands, expanded heads and hair stylized into flat barbs. Medek believed blue and red were the only absolute colors: “Colors are perfect when they are made out of metal – blue out of iron and silver, red out of gold.” In 1955 he started to paint his Action series from a larger series of paintings titled Naked in Thorns, which Ludmila Vachtová described the following year in an article in Tvar magazine| her text represents the first information published about Medek’s work: “Now he is concerned with expressing the conflict that arose by placing today’s man in the world, with creating a sort of modern mythology that has been constrained at times and is now permeating into symbolism, but is impressive for its sense of urgency. This symbolism is not the pretext, but the result of a new view of the most commonplace actions that are the most mechanized in our lives, ones that have become stereotyped. Because the painter has discovered conflict within them, they have the strength to become mythologies. His view can be interpreted as narrow and one-sided, but you cannot deny its right to exist. | If we say humankind, world and life, we cannot exclude from this group the anxiety of mankind, anxiety from the things, situations and relationships that surround him and often bury him.” A painter, illustrator and writer born to a well-known intellectual and artistic family (grandson of the painter Antonín Slavíček, son of writer and General Rudolf Medek, and brother of Ivan Medek), Mikuláš Medek attended the State School of Graphic Design, attended Vlastimil Rada's studio and the Academy of Fine Arts in Prague, and was a student of František Tichý and František Muzika at the Academy of Arts, Architecture and Design in Prague. He was expelled in 1949. He participated in activities held by the Surrealists (Teige, Effenberger, Fára, Istler, Tikal) and took part in compiling art anthologies, but he was not allowed to work as a professional artist. Initially influenced by the Surrealists, he later became a leading figure of Czechoslovak Art Informel and non-figurative painting. He has created a number of installations for chapels in South Moravia (Jedovnice, Senetářov, Kotvrdovice) and the international offices of Czechoslovak Airlines (including Paris, New York, Damascus, Prague–Ruzyně) |and his paintings are represented in public and private collections around the world. His work significantly overlaps with the photography work of his wife, Emila Medková. The contextual cogency, the magical power of his painterly style, and the spiritual energy emanating from Medek’s oeuvre, as well as its message to younger generations, make Medek one of the most important and most original artists not only on the Czech scene, but in the entire painting world of the mid-20th century. Medek’s work is represented in a number of Czech and international public institutions as well as in private collections. The last exhibition of the artist’s work was held at the Rudolfinum and the Auditorium of the Academy of Fine Arts in Prague| the National Gallery in Prague is preparing a large Medek exhibition scheduled for next year. Drawing for the painting: Action I Egg, 1955, charcoal, packing paper, 1140 x 780 mm, Olomouc, Museum of Art, inv. no.: Km14636. Exhibited at: I. Exhibition of Contemporary Czech Visual Artists, Prague, Charles University Faculty of Arts 1958, cat. no. 23| Mikuláš Medek: Obrazy 1947–1965 (Paintings 1947–1965), Prague, New Hall Gallery 1965, cat. no. 5| listed in the exhibition catalogue Mikuláš Medek, Hradec Králové Regional Gallery 1969, cat. no. 23, not exhibited | Mikuláš Medek: Souborné malířské dílo (Collected Oeuvre), Brno, Brna House of Arts – Prague City Library 1990, not listed in the catalogue, exhibited in Prague. Reproduced in: Tvar, vol. 8, no. 9, 1956, p. 281, fig. 775| Svobodné slovo, 22 March 1958| Výtvarná práce, vol. 13, no. 8, 17. May 1965, p. 5| Mikuláš Medek: Obrazy 1947–1965 (Paintings 1947–1965), Union of Czechoslovak Visual Artists 1965, cat. no. 5| Mikuláš Medek, Hradec Králové Regional Gallery and Art Centrum Prague 1969, cat. no. 23| Bohumír Mráz: Mikuláš Medek, Obelisk, Prague 1970, fig. 28, reproduced in color | Mikuláš Medek: Souborné malířské dílo (Collected Oeuvre), Brno, Brna House of Arts 1990, reproduced b&|w| BOX, no. 3, January 1993, back cover, mirror inverse on front cover | Mikuláš Medek: Texty, Torst 1995, p. 280, reproduced b&|w | Umění, vol. 45, no. 5, 1997, p. 489–500| Mikuláš Medek, Gema Art, Prague 2002, p. 43| Analogon, no. 38–39, 2003, p. 25.
Mikulas Medek (Czech Republic, 1926-1974) Oil on Canvas Painting. The modern surreal 1956 oil painting draws on the artist's exceptional powerful source of imagination, sensibility and intellect. The theme of human destiny is expressed exquisitely through highly refined visual metaphors of human existence. In his lifetime, Medek's paintings were met with official disapproval under Communist Party rule, yet the artist soldiered on - painting throughout his life, until he no longer was able to. The oil on canvas painting measures 51 inches high, 63.3 inches wide. Framed with a simple wood strip frame. Signed Brezen (March) 1956 - Medek upper right. In good condition. With inspection under UV light it revealed a small area of touch up in her hair and a small one half inch by three inch touched up abrasion in front of the child's knee and some random touched up specks. Adela Prochazkova, the granddaughter of the artist Mikulas Medek and an assistant curator at the National Gallery in Prague, has kindly contacted and informed us of the title of this painting. It is "Action II - Wool". Adela Prochazkova is assisting National Gallery curators Karel Srp, Ph.D and Lenka Bydzovska, Ph.D in preparing for the National Gallery, Prague a large exhibition and extensive catalog raisonne of all Medek’s works of art. Adela Prochazkova informed us that archive records show that the "Action II - Wool" painting was sold in the 1960s to a woman who then took it to the United States. Until now, the only image available of the painting, is a black and white photograph. We have provided Adela Prochazkova, a high quality image of the "Action II - Wool" painting for the National Gallery, Prague to use in their forthcoming Medek catalog raisonne. Additionally, Adela Prochazkova has provided us with her contact information in hopes that the future new owner of the painting, will contact her regarding exhibiting the painting in the upcoming large exhibition of Medek’s work at the National Gallery in Prague. From Wikipedia: Mikuláš Medek (November 3, 1926 - August 23, 1974) was a Czech painter. He was a grandson of the impressionist painter Antonín Slaví?ek, son of the General of the Czechoslovak Army and Catholic writer Rudolf Medek and brother of the journalist Ivan Medek. He is considered one of the most important representatives of Czech modern painting and one of the most important exponents of the post-war period. He was the husband of the photographer Emila Medková. During the Communist regime in Czechoslovakia, the general hostility towards modern art and free thinking clashed with h collections around the world. From Tyden.cz - November 11, 2016: Painter Virtuoso Mikuláš Medek wrestled in his paintings with matter The last period of his life, he developed imaginative painting and also devoted himself to a book illustration. His work, thanks to no paintings of Mikuláš Medek were astonished by their fragility and drastic nature, at the time they were a revelation. This is why the work of an artist of the European format was expelled from Czech art life in two stages - in the 50s and in the period of normalization. It was created in the seclusion of the studio and prematurely closed in 1974. At present its paintings are auctioned in millions. Painter, graphic artist, illustrator and poet would celebrate 90th on Thursday. "Painter's matter adds to my living tissue," Medek said. Graphic elements on his "prepared" paintings were in the form of scratches, scratches, cracks. His work was laborious and lengthy. On the surface, he laid one dense colorful layer after another and let it dry for a long time. Thanks to this, his paintings have a huge internal depth and radiate intense interior color light. He was intrigued to tell how the spatula gets into the lower layers in his paintings. He cis artistic independence and the spiritual dimensions of his works leading to a long lasting ban on displaying his works. The first full exhibition was realised only in 2002 in the Rudolphinum gallery in Prague. A selection of his works had been exhibited in a local gallery in Roudnice nad Labem in 1989 with no public notice. He died in Prague in August 1974. Medek's work initially relies on the tradition of surrealism, later it brings new elements of the spiritual dimension. In 1952, he entered his "existential period" with the central theme of the human character in space, and at the turn of the 1950s and 1960s he came to abstract painting. As a result, so-called "prepared paintings" of color matter, arranged in the form of surface symbols and rationally distributed color formations have come into being. He brings the theme of the basic question of the meaning of human life directly to the color of its original image-making techniques (emails, etc.). In then-public exhibitions (so-called "Confrontation"), became a model for younger radical artists. After 1960, Medek was allowed to realize some public monumental works, which included the altarpiece of the church in Jedovnice (1963), made together with sculptor Jan Koblasa and the compositions for the interiors of the Czechoslovak office. airlines in Damascus, Košice (1963), Paris (1964), Prague (1969) and New York (1970). The central theme of Medek's work is the theme of human destiny, which is combined with the emotive expression of the intensive experience of the mystical character in an inwardly unified and unusually impressive whole, which speaks to the spectator with extreme urgency. Symbolism of sign systems creates special visual metaphors of human existence in its tragic, painful and mysterious dimensions. Medek's works are largely owned by galleries (e.g. Sydney, New York, Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Hamburg, Bochum, Bratislava, Skopje, etc.) or are contained in privateompared this act to a sexual act. Matter was a player, an adversary, to be overcome and forced to surrender. The resulting images were then "the subject message of psychic events," as he himself said. And their names were eloquent: Magnetic Fish, Black Gambit, Seven Thorns in the Lip, Last Sleep of Big Alcohol, Furious Monstrance, Death for 21,870 fragile blue cm2, 162 cm brittle. Medek had a special relationship to the colors. Green and brown considered "spills" and "dirt". On the contrary, he loved red and blue, considered them to be absolute, most perfect. He added gold to them and said that it was like metal, blue of iron and silver, red of gold. His paintings gradually penetrated the wheels and levers, the simple machines that brought the world of technology here. "Art is everything that is inconsistent with the immobility of reality," said Medek. His paintings also had a spiritual dimension, which made him the author of large works for the interiors of churches. The most famous of them is the altar in Jedovnice in Moravia - a bluish cross with a yellow sun in the middle. In addition, Medek also created illustrations for Brezin's poetry and a number of other books. In the early days he painted magical figurative paintings. Between 1958 and 1964, prepared paintings were created, in which the figure was lost and the bearer of the message became colorful, "tortured" and celebrated. Later he returned to the figure and recently painted cycles: Tower designers, Angry angels, Alcohols, Inquisitors, Guests without a host, Moving graves, and more. The life story of Mikuláš Medek is a conflict of free spirit with the eternity of the time. Born on 3 November 1926 to the family of a writer, legionnaire and general Rudolf Medek, he was the grandson of the painter Antonín Slaví?ek. He originally wanted to study natural sciences and biology and claimed that something of a former desire was reflected in his art. After the war he studied at the Academy of Fine Arts and UMPRUM by František Muzika and František Tichý, but in 1949 he was expelled. When he married Emil Tlaskal in 1951, both of them were oriented to surrealism. Emil in the photographs, Nicholas in the paintings. His whole life inspired him, and he shared with him with his lofty life fate. "Nicholas was incredibly gentle and sensitive ..." said his brother, Ivan Medek. Other personalities who were coming to his studio on Janá?ek's waterfront also talked about the fragile humanity of the exceptional artist. It has become a kind of private cultural forum. "The conversations at Mikuláš resembled adventurous expeditions - just as the theme and direction changed with a random note, and Mikuláš was able to entertain royal fun, he liked to laugh," Jáchym Topol told him. "Medek was deep, but clean as a well. He immediately got me," recalled Brno poet Ji?í Kub?na. "An infinitely living, natural, loving, wise, gently ironic, cheerful, playful ..." Towards the end of his life the ill painter once again got to the index. He could not exhibit, the public contracts were rejected, and the monograph was forbidden. He fought his body with increased artistic creativity. He died severely ill on August 23, 1974, in a hospital on Charles Square in his early forty-eight years. From: ceskatelevize.cz - December 15, 2018 The Roudnice Gallery of Modern Art boasts not only an excellent collection but also excellent dramaturgy - the latest proof is the current exhibition of Mikuláš Medek. It may seem that Mikuláš Medek (1926-1974) is sufficiently established on our scene, his paintings are exhibited at various exhibitions. However, his own big exhibition had the last time in Rudolfinum in 2002 and the flood broke into that. At the same time, there are isolated voices that Medka's importance should be re-evaluated because it is overestimated. The Roudnická exhibition is fortunate enough to answer both points: Firstly, it can be perceived as a complete exhibition by presenting the artist's work in its entirety. At the same time, thanks to the curatorial concept, it convincingly disproves any doubt about Medkova's place in our post-war art. Curator Miroslava Hlavá?ková could not spill more due to the space available in the Roudnice Gallery; the seeming bonding of hands turned out to be an advantage. It is not a problem to overwhelm a large space of paintings, as was the case for example last year's exhibition of Czech Impressionism - everyone can do it. However, the viewer will drown in the flood, just as the concept, if any. But to show artists in a much smaller space, and nothing to ignore, not to distract, is not just so. There is nothing, just a spike ... At first there are three Medkov's paintings from the end of the 1940s, the Infantile Landscape II (Infantile Walk) from 1947, and from 1948 the Anal Butterfly and the Wonderful Mother II . Medek works with organic motifs, and the biological-vegetative-anatomical elements are similar to the older generation of František Janoušek. It is definitely the composition of the composition to feel the symbiotic link with the creation of Medka's wife Emily, whose pictures from that time we also see eggs or eyeballs set in a seemingly inconsistent context. Was it surreal? Obviously yes, apparently not. If we want to, we can find the principle of collage in the set of "objects", but in any case, it is difficult to find, apart from the mentioned Janoušek, some parallels. From the beginning of the 1950s, the reality of the Cold War, Stalin's terror, timelessness, and the loss of perspective began to flow into images - not only the color of the works but also the content. Thus, from the paintings of Cranachov nad?írik with the imperialist flower (1953-1954), Scream (1954) or Hádka (1956-1957), we feel long- laden but completely manifest - external - aggression and threats. For example, Screaming is a totally different expression than the famous Munch's Scream . The seemingly calm blue-gray background is the richer, deformed and significantly reduced red figure, the face protruding from itself - and there is nothing behind the blue "window". Only threatening, guarding spikes ... In later paintings such as Sleeping IV (Sleepy Sleep) of 1957 or Naked Thornsof the same year, gradual motifs and geometrization of motifs are taking place. At the same time, they turn color into red or blue, and then add further color accents. It starts with the peak of the Median period - if it can be hierarchized at all. Medek reduces the characters, and not only is, for the austere geometric formations, the canvas is full of wounding, aggression, penetration - both in content and in the painting gesture. Physical attacks point to images, we see different blades, spikes, chisels - such as the two Inquisitors (1965) or The View of Men in Voltage (1967). He has spikes and some kind of "machine" in his head ... By the way, the inquisitors are to be the historians of František Šmejkal and V?ra Linhartová. (Surrealist) He talks about Medzk's surrealism - he was certainly close to him, especially before, but he never considered the Surrealist, and in later years the rigid surrealist group would certainly not tolerate church decorations, altar painting. It is therefore interesting to compare two paintings: The Monster Who Wants to Live Lively / V. Effenberger (1965) and The Attempt on the Portrait of J. Ch. (1967). Regardless of the fact that the name of the first oil comes from Medk's poem from 1951, we see a stylized head on it, with three eyes, the whole of which is gloomy, fuzzy, dark. The light blue "figure", that is, critic and art historian Jind?ich Chalupecký, on the other oil is, on the contrary, anchored in a wide crotch, bent, but evolving personality, rising to a higher level. It is hard to tell how the work of Medka would develop, but he died relatively young. Even so, he left behind a work worth the respect. It serves the honor of the Roudnice Gallery to remind Nicolas Medka again. It is also worth mentioning a carefully prepared catalog with many Medkov quotes that create the overall impression. And if you want to make a pleasant trip, take the Roudnice Gallery of Modern Art and the current exhibition of Nicholas Medko as a good tip. Exhibit Ends February 10, 2019.
1968 42 x 30 cm (h x w) Charcoal on paper. Although Pasternak wrote his most well-known book of prose in 1956, readers in the Soviet Union had to wait until 1988 to read it; the book was published in Czechoslovakia in 1989. Jan Zábrana had translated the book in the 1960s, but he did not live to see his translation go to print. The original book illustrations by Mikulas Medek date from this time. Medek occupies a leading position in Czech post-war art due to the original expression, profound meaning, and unique spirituality of his work. He also proved his artistic independence and spiritual dimension during the communist regime, which was a harsh adversary of modern art and free thought. From the estate of Jan Zábrana. Ref.: Jan Zábrana's translation into Czech of Boris Pasternak's Doctor Zhivago was published by Lidové nakladatelstvi in 1989. Loaned to the Rudolfinum for an exhibition in 2002. Used to illustrate an article by Jiri Honzik: "Pasternakova symbolická autobiografie" [Pasternak's Symbolic Autobiography], in: Svetová literatura 1969, vol. 14, pp. 135, 143, 167, 173 Starting price: 45 000 CZK (1 765 EUR)
MODRÁ KOMPOZICE 1960 Lept na papíře, 118x156 mm, signováno a datováno vpravo dole tužkou "Medek 60". BLUE COMPOSITION 1960 Etching on paper, 118x156 mm, signed and dated lower right in pencil "Medek 60". BLAUE KOMPOSITION 1960 Radierung auf Papier, 118x156 mm, signiert und datiert rechts unten in Bleistift "Medek 60".
MIKULÁŠ MEDEK (1926 Prague 1974) Maso Krize. 1961. Acrylic on masonite. Signed, dated and titled on the reverse: MEDEK 61 MASO KRIZE. 58 X 37 cm. The authenticity of this work has been confirmed by the National Gallery in Prague and by Mrs. Dr. Eva Kosáková Medková, May 2018. We thank Dr. Eva Kosáková for her kind support. The work will be included in the forthcoming catalogue raisonné. Provenance: - Collection Jiri Kubena, present from the artist. - By descent to the present owner, since then private collection Switzerland. --------------- MIKULÁŠ MEDEK (1926 Prag 1974) Maso Krize. 1961. Acryl auf Hartfaserplatte. Verso signiert, datiert und betitelt: MEDEK 61 MASO KRIZE. 58 x 37 cm. Die Authentizität dieses Werks wurde von der National Galerie in Prag und von Frau Dr. Eva Kosáková Medková, Mai 2018, bestätigt. Wir danken Frau Dr. Eva Kosáková für die freundliche Unterstützung. Das Werk wird in das in Vorbereitung befindlichen Werkverzeichnis aufgenommen. Provenienz: - Sammlung Jiri Kubena. - Durch Erbschaft an den heutigen Besitzer, seitdem Privatsammlung Schweiz.
