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Biography
Jirí
Kolár
24 September 1914 Protivin - 12 August 2002 Prague
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1914 |
born as the son of
a baker on 24 September in Protivin (District Pisek), Southern Bohemia. |
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1922 |
family moves to the
industrial city of Kladno near Prague. |
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1929-42 |
after finishing school,
training as carpenter followed by a number of different jobs, such
as baker's helper, waiter, unskilled laborer, night watchman, newspaper
editor, writes western and detective stories, intermittently unemployed. |
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1934 |
first collages, strong
interest in modern Czech and international literature. |
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1937 |
first solo exhibition
with a selection of collages at the Mozarteum Prague, until |
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1939 |
work on the early poetry
collection "Baptismal Certificate". |
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1942 |
founding member of
the Group 42, collections "Odes and Variations of the Group
42" |
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1941-44 |
"Limb and Other
Poems" |
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beginning 1943 |
beginning 1943 freelance
writer, inspiration from French Symbolism and Surrealism (Mallarmé,
Apollinaire), James Joyce and contemporary music, translations of
Anglo-American literature. |
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1945 |
after the war, Kolár
leaves Kladno and moves to Prague, collection "Seven Cantatas". |
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1945-48 |
publishing house editor
for the Association of Friends of Art and the book "Dilo"
in Prague. |
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1947-48 |
trips to Paris, England
and Scotland. |
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1950 |
"Prometheus' Liver",
journal and poetry collection. |
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1949-52 |
first artistic interpretations
of his poems, experiments with various collage forms, "Eye
Witness" collection and journal, Kolár is banned from
publication in the CSSR, fired as publishing house editor. |
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1953 |
nine months imprisonment
awaiting trial and amnesty. |
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1954-57 |
"Instructions
for Use Poems", "Werschowitzer Aesop". |
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1958-59 |
theater dramas "Our
Daily Bread", "The Plague in Athens". |
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1959-63 |
consistent transition
from writing to picture using evident poetry
Poetry collections "Homage to Malevich" 1959, "Y61"
1959-61, "Poetry of Silence" 1961. |
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1961-62 |
poems from various
lettering, object poems, early assemblages and collaged objects.
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1963 |
founding member of
the group "Krizovatka" (Crossing), first solo exhibition
abroad (London), successive expansion and variation of collage techniques.
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1968 |
participation in Documenta
4 in Kassel. First Kolár monograph published by DuMont Verlag
Cologne. |
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1969 |
trip to Brazil, distinction
at the Sao Paulo Biennale X. |
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1970 |
trips to the USA, Canada,
Japan, in November serious stroke, Pursues interest in art theory. |
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1971 |
awarded the Herder
Prize of the University of Vienna, in Kolár's home country
there are no book editions published nor exhibitions of the artist
until 1990. |
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1977 |
signing of the "Charta
77". |
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1979 |
Lexicon of techniques
"Dictionaires des Methods" with explanation and definition
of 120 collage techniques, DMD scholarship enables a stay in Berlin.
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1980 |
moves from Berlin to
Paris, despite return obligation, Kolár remains in Paris
in exile. Condemnation in absentia by a court in Prague and confiscation
of his property, support and studio from the Centre Pompidou. |
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1981 |
initiator and editor
of the publication series "Revue K" on Czech art in French
(with Roman Kames). |
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1984 |
granted French citizenship. |
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1986 |
theater premiere of
the play "Our Daily Bread" in Vienna. |
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1990 |
first trip to Prague
in 10 years, participation in the Venice Biennale. |
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1992 |
reinstatement of Czech
citizenship, official rehabilitation of the artist in the Czech
Republic. Publication of a first index of works. |
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Jirí Kolár
is represented by the LeLong Gallery in Paris. |
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2002 |
12 August 2002, the
artist dies in Prague. |
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