Lot 205

Jiří Beránek (1945 - 2021) A BIRTH

The work by Jiří Beránek, which is very rarely found on the art market, is a carved wooden object composed of several parts, where the decay of the classical form is replaced by biomorphic shapes, referring to Baroque aesthetics as well as to some trends of modern sculpture. From the 1970s onwards, Beránek's strong relationship to nature - to the landscape, which he also understands as a place of memory - takes shape. One of the highlights of Beránek's tendency to work with earth materials was the exhibition The Twilight of Memory at the Royal Summer Palace in Prague in 1998. With his work, Jiří Beránek reveals a world of myths that go deep into our memory. In his work, which also includes land art, he mythologizes nature. His spectrum of rustic work and inspiration from primitive art has partly continued the tradition of Czech carving, and partly introduced new impulses, drawing on the whole range of modern art. The idea of the "inhabited, used sculpture" is one of the main innovations Beránek brought to Czech art. After all, maintaining the space of artistic freedom, preserving the continuity of Czech modern art and the plurality of opinions characteristic of the previous period was the most important feature of the entire generation of the artist's contemporaries, who expressed their sceptical attitude towards the normalizing social atmosphere through art. Beránek's work, which has been presented in numerous exhibitions, especially after the revolution, is represented in several prestigious institutions, such as the National Gallery in Prague, the Alš Gallery in South Bohemia, the GHMP, the Kampa Museum, and others.