Karel Kuklík facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Karel Kuklík
Karel Kuklík Photo by: Jaroslav Beneš
Born	(1937-03-07)March 7, 1937 Prague, Czechoslovakia
Died	August 18, 2019(2019-08-18) (aged 82) Prague, Czech Republic
Nationality	Czech
Occupation	Photographer
Known for	Photographic series: Imaginative Landscapes (1958–1964), The Šumava, Prague

Karel Kuklík (born March 7, 1937, in Prague, Czechoslovakia – died August 18, 2019, in Prague) was a famous Czech photographer. He was known for his special way of taking pictures, which was part of a style called Informel in art. This style often focused on abstract shapes and textures, making art that looked less like real life and more like feelings or ideas. His photos also made people think deeply about life. In 2000, he helped start a photography group called Český dřevák.

Karel Kuklík's Life Story

Karel Kuklík was born in Prague. His father was a tailor who was put in prison during World War II for doing things against the rules. Young Karel spent some of the early 1940s living with relatives in different places, like a village near Blaník Hill. When he was about six, he became friends with František Šmejkal, who later became a well-known art expert.

When Karel was fifteen, he got his first camera. A year later, he bought a special camera that used glass plates instead of film. Around this time, he became very interested in art and started visiting art galleries. In the early 1950s, he saw an art show by Jan Zrzavý that really impressed him.

Between 1952 and 1954, Karel trained to be a car mechanic. He worked as a mechanic from 1954 to 1956 and again from 1958 to 1960. From 1956 to 1958, he served in the military.

In 1960, he started working as a photo lab assistant at a special institute in Prague. This place helped protect historical buildings and the environment. There, he learned many useful photography and darkroom skills. A darkroom is a special, dark place where photos are developed. Since 1964, he worked as a freelance photographer, meaning he worked for himself.

Karel Kuklík passed away on Sunday, August 18, 2019, after being sick for a long time.

Karel Kuklík's Photography Work

Main Photo Series

Imaginative Landscapes

Imaginative Landscapes is a big collection of photos Karel Kuklík created between 1958 and 1964. It includes several smaller groups of pictures:

• 1958–1960 Tainted Landscape I
• 1960–1963 Landscape of Hope
• 1962–1964 Tainted Landscape II
• 1964 Landscape of Cognition
• 1964 Wreckage

Other Photo Collections

Where His Photos Are Kept

Karel Kuklík's photographs are part of important art collections around the world, including:

• Uměleckoprůmyslové museum v Praze (Museum of Decorative Arts in Prague)
• Národní galerie v Praze (National Gallery in Prague)
• Moravská galerie v Brně (Moravian Gallery in Brno)
• Muzeum Šumavy Kašperské Hory (The Museum of the Šumava in Kašperské Hory)
• Alšova jihočeská galerie v Hluboké nad Vltavou (Aleš South-Bohemian Gallery in Hluboká nad Vltavou)
• Galerie hlavního města Prahy (City Gallery Prague)
• The Museum of Modern Art in New York City
• Bibliothèque nationale de France (French National Library)
• The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, United States
• Národní muzeum fotografie v Jindřichově Hradci (National Museum of Photography in Jindřichův Hradec)

Books Featuring His Work

Karel Kuklík's photographs have been published in several books:

• Šumava (The Šumava), Panorama 1984
  • This book received an honorable mention for its photos and an award from the Panorama Publishing House.
• České a moravské rybníky (Bohemian and Moravian Ponds), Pressfoto 1984
• Český kras (Bohemian Karst), Pressfoto 1988
• Český Krumlov (with Pavel Kuklík), Pressfoto 1992
• Šumava (The Šumava), KUKLIK 1993
• Český Krumlov (with Pavel Kuklík), KUKLIK 1996
  • This book was named The Photographic Publication of the Year 1997.
• Monografie Karel Kuklík (Monograph of Karel Kuklík), České muzeum výtvarného umění (Czech Museum of Fine Arts), 1997
  • This book was named The Photographic Publication of the Year 1998.
• Praha 1997–1998 Katalog grantu Hlavního města Prahy 1998 (Catalogue of Grant by Capital Prague 1998)
  • This was awarded as The Photographic Catalogue of the Year 1999.
• Krajiny návratů (Landscapes of Returns), KUKLIK 2004
• Praha – Krajina návratů 1974–2008 (Prague – Landscape of Returns 1974–2008), KUKLIK 2010

Photo Portfolios

Karel Kuklík also created special limited-edition portfolios, which are collections of original prints.

• Dvůr 1976–1978 (Homestead 1976–1978)
  • This portfolio had ten original 18x24 cm prints. Only ten numbered copies were made in 1979.
• Krajina návratů II. 1973–1980 (Landscape of Returns II 1973–1980)
  • This had ten original 18x24 cm prints. Only ten numbered copies were made in 1981.
• Grébovka 1974
  • This included ten original 13x18 cm prints. Only ten numbered copies were made in 1993.
• Šumava – variace na téma (The Šumava – Variations on a Theme)
  • This portfolio had seven original 15x20 cm enlarged prints. Only ten numbered copies were made in 1995.

Gallery

• 

  Untitled, 1955

• 

  From the Dead Town series, 1959

• 

  From the Tainted Landscape I series, 1959

• 

  Structure no. 3, 1960

• 

  Crack II, 1962

• 

  Waiting triptych - Left Wing, 1962

• 

  From the Tainted Landscape II series, 1964

• 

  From the Time of the Town series, 1964

• 

  From the Objects I series, 1967

• 

  From the Homestead I series, 1976

• 

  From the Landscape of Returns II series, 1980

• 

  From the Traces and Projections series, 1985

• 

  From the Landscape of Returns II series, 1993-1994