Lot 112

Otakar Schindler (1923 - 1998) ADAM AND EVE IN PARADISE

The object Adam and Eve in Paradise has an original foundation – a drawer from the artist’s studio, demonstrating the exceptional imagination and versatility of artist Otakar Schindler, who is primarily known for his work in the theater. After the end of World War II he established the amateur theater Kytice (“Bouquet”) in Ostrava, which became the professional Petr Bezruč Theater in 1955. In 1959 it welcomed a group of graduates of Prague’s Academy of Performing Arts led by director Jan Kačer. Over time Schindler became a sought-after stage designer not only in Ostrava, but also in Brno, Cheb, Liberec, Pilsen and Prague. In 1975 he relocated to Prague and settled there permanently, creating a successful team with Luboš Pistorius at the Realist Theater. In addition to stage design, Schindler also focused on painting. He created surprising Surrealist collages in his sets and costumes, using fragments of discarded objects found at garbage dumps and in prop departments at theaters.  His most well-known stage designs were for Nezval’s Schovávaná na schodech (Petr Bezruč Theater Ostrava, 1964, dir. Kačer), Chekhov’s Racek (The Seagull, Činoherní klub Prague, 1975, dir. Kačer) and Giraudoux’s Ondina (Ondine, Realist Theater Prague, 1982, dir. Pistorius). By 1968 he had contributed to 50 television productions, created 15 stage designs for puppet theater, and exhibited in many countries throughout Europe. Otakar Schindler’s place of birth – the gamekeeper’s lodge at Stará Plesná 87/91 – still stands to this day.