Josef Sudek: In the Studio

1 December, 2016 – 27 January, 2017
Gallery of Science and Art, The Czech Academy of Sciences
Národní 3, 110 00 Prague 1

The exhibition of the world-renown Czech photographer Josef Sudek, organized in the year of his 120th anniversary of birth (1896) and 40th anniversary of death (1976), presents photographs of Prague-based artists’ studios in the form of authorial newprints from Sudek’s original negatives borrowed from the collection of the Institute of Art History of the Czech Academy of Sciences.
For the exhibition “Josef Sudek: In the Studio,” the Gallery of Science and Art presents 57 photographs, selected at the discretion of the exhibition’s curators, depicting the studios of ten Prague-based artists whose work Sudek systematically documented. Apart from the well-known studios of sculptors such as Bohumil Kafka, Josef Wagner, Josef Mařatka or Hana Wichterlová, we can also see the studio of the painter Andrej Bělocvětov who was a close friend of Sudek’s, or Ota Janeček who also shared a close relationship with him. The studio spaces of other, lesser known artists will also be presented, as Sudek in fact often had much sympathy for them. These include sculptor Jiří Jaška, painters František Zikmund, Vilém Plocek and Emanuel Famíra. 

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„Josef Sudek was surrounded by friends from artistic circles, and he documented their work on commission. First he worked for his acquaintances, then for their acquaintances, some of whom sought Sudek out in person, and so his clientele grew in number. The significance of his reproductions of art, from the point of view of both the public and the specialists, is somewhat overshadowed by the popularity of Sudek’s well-known still lifes, views from the windows of his studio, and landscapes. Despite the fact that Sudek participated in the production of the book Pražské ateliéry (Prague Studios, 1961), which featured his photographs from the studios and portraits of the artists Josef Brož, Ota Janeček, Josef Lada, Vlastimil Rada, Václav Sivko, Jan Slavíček, Bedřich Stefan, Vladimír Sychra, Otakar Velinský and Josef Wagner, photos from the studios deposited in the collection of the Institute of Art History have not yet been reproduced.“ 

„When Sudek began photographing art works, he already had the experience of taking pictures of the completion of St. Vitus Cathedral which resulted in a portfolio, published by Družstevní práce in 1928. In these works, Sudek was fascinated by the “invasion of the alien,” the construction machines and materials in the sacred space of the cathedral. In a similar way Sudek may have been attracted to the contrast between the scaffolds and pulleys and the unfinished horse for the monument of Jan Žižka in the studio of Bohumil Kafka. He was also intrigued by the still life with the head of a horse and the head of a lion. Sudek must have sensed that to understand an artist’s work fully is only possible by inspecting his “kitchen,” his studio.“

– Vojtěch Lahoda, excerpts from the catalogue

Catalogue PDF – Printed catalogue is available for free at the Institute of Art History of the CAS, Husova 4, Prague 1.
Poster PDF
Flyer PDF
Press Release PDF

Colophon:

Author of the photographs: Josef Sudek
New prints by: Vlado Bohdan
Curators: Vojtěch Lahoda, Katarína Mašterová
Curator of the Gallery: Tereza Kopecká
Architects: Dominik Lang, Jakub Červenka
Graphic design: Martin Groch, Tim+Tim
Production: Tereza Kopecká, Katarína Mašterová, Markéta Janotová, Martin Pavlis
Translations: Magdalena Wells, Lawrence Wells, Vít Bohal (Press Release)
Opening night: Petr Cígler and Jan Pták will perform the Althorn Sonata (1943) for piano and French horn composed by Paul Hindemith.
Acknowledgements: Dušana Barčová, Adéla Kremplová, Taťána Petrasová, Petr Hošek, team spolupracovníků Dominika Langa

Accompanying Events:

12/15/2016  – Thursday, 5 pm: Guided tour of the exhibition with the curator Katarína Mašterová and the photographer Vlado Bohdan.
01/12/2017 – Thursday, 4 pm (maximum10 people): Excursion to the darkroom of the Institute of Art History of the Czech Academy of Sciences, where the process of making the new prints will be demonstrated, and an excursion to the photo library of the institute showing the original negatives and prints by Josef Sudek Address: Institute of Art History of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Husova 4, Prague 1. Reservation:
janotova@udu.cas.cz
01/26/2016 – Thursday, 5 pm: Guided tour of the exhibition with the curator Katarína Mašterová and the photographer Vlado Bohdan.

Press reviews:

ihned.cz 30. 11. 2016
Česká televize, Události v kultuře 2. 12. 2016
Český rozhlas Vltava, Mozaika 6. 12. 2016
Lidovky.cz 9. 12. 2017
Artikl.org 25. 12. 2016

The exhibition was supported by the fund "Státní fond kultury ČR".