Štěpán Zavřel facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Štěpán Zavřel
Štěpán Zavřel
Born	(1932-12-26)December 26, 1932 Prague, Czechoslovakia
Died	February 25, 1999(1999-02-25) (aged 66) Rugolo (Sarmede)
Nationality	Czech
Education	Accademia di Belle Arti di Roma
Known for	graphic arts, illustrating, painting
Notable work	the illustration of the Bible for children - Mit Gott unterwegs, Die Bibel für Kinder und Erwachsene neu erzählt (Bohem Press, 1996)
Movement	Scuola Internazionale d’Illustrazione (The international school of Illustration)
Patron(s)	Jiří Trnka

Štěpán Zavřel (born December 26, 1932 – died February 25, 1999) was a talented artist from the Czech Republic. He was a painter, graphic artist, and writer. He is best known for his amazing work illustrating children's books in the 20th century. Many people consider him one of the most important figures in this field.

Štěpán Zavřel lived and studied in his home country, Czechoslovakia, until 1959. After that, he moved to Italy. There, he continued his studies at the Accademia di Belle Arti di Roma, a famous art school. He then traveled all over Europe, showing his artwork in different exhibitions. In 1968, he found a home in a small Italian village called Rugolo, in the Veneto region. He lived there for the rest of his life.

In 1971, Štěpán Zavřel helped start a publishing company called Bohem Press in Zurich. He also founded The International School of Illustration in Sarmede. This special school, which teaches people how to illustrate, is still open today.

Remembering Štěpán Zavřel's Art

People still remember and celebrate Štěpán Zavřel's contributions to art. In 2009, ten years after he passed away, a book was published in the Czech Republic. It shared stories from people who knew him.

The Štěpán Zavřel Art Museum

In September 2011, a special place called the Museo Artistico Štěpán Zavřel was opened in Udine, Italy. This museum is all about his life and his many artworks. A friend of Štěpán, Corrado Pirzio-Biroli, wanted to create this museum. Štěpán's family agreed with the idea.

The museum's job is to study Štěpán Zavřel's art and keep a record of all his works. This includes pieces given by private collectors. It also holds more than 3,000 original artworks from his family. These include woodcuts from the early 1960s, studies, pictures, and films for animation. There are also advertising designs, sketches, and original drawings from all his illustrated children's books. These range from The Magic Fish (1964) to his last big work, Mit Gott unterwegs, Die Bibel für Kinder und Erwachsene neu erzählt (1996).

Promoting Children's Culture

The 'Centro Internazionale di Studi per la Cultura dell'Infanzia Štěpán Zavřel' (which means International Study Centre for Children's Culture) also works to promote art for kids. It creates cultural projects in its local area and works with other international groups. They especially focus on picture books and different art forms made for children.

Besides researching Štěpán Zavřel's art, the Centre plans museum activities. They also work with the historic Bohem Press publishing house, which Štěpán Zavřel founded. They help republish his old books or create new ones. These books have won many awards for their beautiful images. The Centre also supports special projects for schools. For example, in 2013, a play called Venice: Town of Hope was performed in Ukraine. It was based on Zavřel's book Sotto la laguna di Venezia.

Štěpán Zavřel's Works

Illustrations

• Maria, Francesca Gagliardi; Der Zauberfisch (Annette Betz, 1966)
• Zavřel, Štěpán; Sie folgen dem Stern (Patmos, 1967)
• Zavřel, Štěpán; Salz ist mehr als Gold (Nord-Süd Verlag, 1968)
• Grimm, Brüder; Sterntaler (Patmos, 1969)
• Guardini, Romano; Kreuzweg unseres Herrn und Heilandess (Křesťanská akadmie, 1970)
• Zavřel, Štěpán; Die Geschichte eines Wassermanns (Nord-Süd Verlag, 1970)
• Wölfel, Ursula; Erde, unsere schöner Stern (Patmos, 1971)
• Zavřel, Štěpán; Die verlorene Sonne (Nord-Süd, 1973)
• Zavřel, Štěpán; Venedig morgen (Bohem Press, 1974)
• Zavřel, Štěpán; Peter und Hansi (Gakken, 1975)
• Zavřel, Štěpán; Der letze Baum (Bohem Press, 1977)
• Bolliger, Max; Die Kinderbrücke (Bohem Press, 1977)
• Zavřel, Štěpán; The Last Tree (Macdonald and Jane’s, 1978)
• Bolliger, Max; Das Hirtenlied (Bohem Press, 1978)
• Zavřel, Štěpán; Der Schmetterling' (Bohem Press, 1980)
• Bolliger, Max; De Bernebrege (Algemiene Fryske Underrjocht Kommisje, 1981)
• Zavřel, Štěpán; In Betlehem geboren (Patmos, 1981)
• Zavřel, Štěpán; Mein erstes Weihnachtsbuch (Patmos, 1982)
• Zavřel, Štěpán; Grossvater Thomas (Bohem Press, 1983)
• Eiichi, Sekine; Fushigina kusa no himitsu (Gakken, 1984)
• Bolliger, Max; Les nains de la montagne (Bohem Press, 1985)
• Bolliger, Max; Die Riesenberge (Bohem Press, 1985)
• Hasler, Evelin; Die Blumenstadt (Bohem Press, Zürich 1987, )
• Maury, Brigitte and Paravel, Dominique; Sous la lagune de Venise (Bohem Press, 1987)
• Zavřel, Štěpán und Naumann, Dieter; Der Garten des Tobias (Peters, 1988)
• Škutina, Vladimír; Ukradený Ježíšek (Bohem Press, 1988)
• Bolliger, Max; Jakob der Gaukler (Bohem Press, 1991)
• Zavřel, Štěpán; Liétajuci deduško (Bohem Press, 1991)
• Bolliger, Max; Jona (Lehrmittelverlag, 1994)
• Schindler, Regine; Mit Gott unterwegs, Die Bibel für Kinder und Erwachsene neu erzählt (Bohem Press, 1996)

Publications

• Zavřel, Štěpán; Sie folgen dem Stern (Patmos, 1967)
• Zavřel, Štěpán; Salz ist mehr als Gold (Nord-Süd Verlag, 1967)
• Zavřel, Štěpán; Die Geschichte eines Wassermanns (Nord-Süd Verlag, 1970)
• Zavřel, Štěpán; Die verlorene Sonne (Nord-Süd, 1973)
• Zavřel, Štěpán; Venedig morgen (Bohem Press, 1974)
• Zavřel, Štěpán; Peter und Hansi (Gakken, 1975)
• Zavřel, Štěpán; Der letze Baum (Bohem Press, 1977)
• Zavřel, Štěpán; The Last Tree (Macdonald and Jane’s, 1978)
• Zavřel, Štěpán; Der Schmetterling' (Bohem Press, 1980)
• Zavřel, Štěpán; In Betlehem geboren (Patmos, 1981)
• Zavřel, Štěpán; Mein erstes Weihnachtsbuch (Patmos, 1982)
• Zavřel, Štěpán; Grossvater Thomas (Bohem Press, 1984)
• Zavřel, Štěpán und Naumann, Dieter; Der Garten des Tobias (Peters, 1988)
• Zavřel, Štěpán; Liétajuci deduško (Bohem Press, 1991)