600 000 CZK
| 24 000 €
Lot 149
An Umbrellaman
90 x 60 cm (h x w)
Starting price
Price realized
1 400 000 CZK
| 56 000 €
| 56 000 €
price without premium
After returning to Prague from forced labor in Germany in 1945, Matal decided to study painting and immediately joined the local art scene. He joined Aleš Union of Fine Arts, Umělecká Beseda and Group 42. In 1946 he participated in the group exhibition Art Tchécoslovaque 1938 - 1946, organized by Josef Šíma and Paul Eluard and held in Paris. He sent in five works, but because they have not been identified with certainty, it is possible that this canvas was among the works exhibited. This hypothesis is supported by a stamp on the back. The Umbrellaman is an example of the artist's poetic civilism. It connects old times with the future, everyday things with innovative visions. Against a background of old apartment buildings, an industrial figure demonstrates an everyday umbrella. The rather dark color and bolder details are typical. The artist painted a similar topic on a smaller oil on paper. The auctioned painting is an exceptional collector's commodity from the artist's early period, which rarely appear on the Czech market. Oil on canvas, signed and dated bottom right hand corner "Matal 46". At the back marked "B. Matal, 1946, Deštníkář".