Lot 193

Aleš Veselý (1935 - 2015) THE DICTATOR

Aleš Veselý's objects represent touches of the absolute truth in human life full of told stories, the narration of which is seldom an accurate description of reality. Aleš Veselý started from painting and continued to sculptures and abstraction, because it was here that he found something inner that was humanly authentic. The work came directly from him, without abstraction of what was seen, he worked tirelessly and furiously and constantly tried to transcend himself with his work of art. In years full of anger, disappointment and high games, when the truth was hid from the oppression of communism and the call for freedom was punished, the work Dictator was created, which Aleš Veselý created in Rome for his friend Gianlorenzo Pacini. "Gengio," as his friends called him, smuggled Havel's manuscripts into Italy and translated them into Italian and French. Unfortunately, the situation turned against him and he was imprisoned for 43 days, tortured and interrogated. Aleš Veselý spent time at Gengio's place in Rome and, with the help of the tools at his disposal, destroyed a metal bucket, placed it in a "vessel of suffering", which he painted in blood red and pierced the work with massive rusty nails. The imaginary "mouth" of the dictator is a symbolic iron maiden who grows out of destruction, corrosion and blood and feeds on human sacrifices. The urgent message that Aleš Veselý conveys with Dictator lacks decoration, but the power of expression would seem to be a typical author's handwriting.