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In her painting and glass sculpture, Anna Matoušková resolves configurations of various simple geometric objects. Proceeding from an essentially architectonic conceptualization, she explores the spatial relationships and possibilities of ordering, sequencing, multiplication, variation and transformation of forms that originate in rational consideration and are governed by proportional logic.
Matoušková lives and works in Prague, where she studied at the Academy of Applied Arts (now Academy of Art, Architecture and Design) with Stanislav Libenský, Jaroslav Svoboda, and Vladimír Kopecký. Since 1998, she is a member of Klub konkrétistů (Club of Concretists). Her work has been shown in one-person exhibitions in the Czech Republic, Japan, The Netherlands, United Kingdom, Germany, in the United States by Chappell Gallery in New York, and in important group shows also in other countries, in the US regularly since 2002. She has participated in numerous international symposia, led a glass sculpture workshop for the Fundación Centro Nacional del Vidrio – Real Fábrica de Cristales de La Granja in Segovia, Spain (1998), and lectured in London and elsewhere in the United Kindgom (1999, 2005).
Matoušková’s work has been discussed in exhibition catalogues Sensitive Touch (London, 2001), Global Art Glass Triennial (Borgholm, 2002), art & fenomen: Philosophy in Art (Prague, 2004), binding-building (New York, 2005), New Glass and Studio Glass (Coburg, 2005), in Glassrevue (www.glassrevue.com), Glasswork, and Atelier, her own comments appeared also in Speculum (Prague, 1989) and The Studio Glass Gallery catalog (London, 1999). Matoušková is represented in museums, public, corporate and private collections around the world, including in the Czech Republic, Germany, Holland, Spain, Japan, the United States, and Japan (with an architectural glass realization in Tokyo).
In Places, the Czech artist Anna Matoušková uses painting, drawing and sculpture to give an objective form to her inner reflections on music by the American composer Leo Kraft. The project began to take shape five years ago, after Matoušková, a Czech artist, and Kraft, an American composer, musical theorist, author and educator, now Professor Emeritus at Queens College, met in Prague. The two spent hours talking about art and music. Through a continuing dialogue, they discovered that while their media and backgrounds differ, their artistic concerns and creative processes are aligned. In discussing and sharing their work, Kraft and Matoušková developed an artistic friendship that bridges age, gender, nationality and artistic discipline. Their mutual appreciation has enriched and inspired each of them.
Reflecting on Kraft’s compositions, Matoušková created most of the pieces in this show, which she dedicates to his 85th birthday. For context, she included older paintings with musical themes and similar motifs. Earlier versions of this project were presented in two 2007 exhibitions in the Czech Republic: Surface Tonalities (Gallery Havelka, Prague) and Etudes and Compositions (Salon of the Club of Concretists KK2, Olomouc). The exhibition’s title, Places, pays homage to places of personal significance to the two artists, using parallels and links between these locations to emphasize art’s ability to connect.
Paintings from Matoušková’s “Surface Tonalities” cycle relate especially closely to Kraft’s music. While they aren’t abstract in the proper sense—i.e. abstracted from concrete realities—and aren’t objectifications of abstract thoughts, in them the artist expresses her inner experience of music, that most abstract of all arts. Invoking Swiss artist Max Bill’s (1908-1994) belief that “in such cases, one should speak of concrete art, an art that seeks to create ‘a new reality shaped by new objects—items of spiritual need,’” Czech art critic and curator Jaromír Zemina notes an instance of such concretization: “The means by which Anna Matoušková objectifies her inner reflection of Kraft’s music are represented by expanses of color, the equivalent of musical pitch—hence the term Surface Tonalities.”
The artists’ mutual attraction may stem from the characteristics of their work. Kraft’s music has “directness, exquisite craftsmanship, structural clarity, rhythmic interest, harmonic and contrapuntal inventiveness” (Edward Smaldone). Matoušková’s pieces manifest careful, thought-out expression of what is important to her, such as shape, light, formal relationship of color and detail; her glass sculpture has luminosity and volume, even rhythm.
Matoušková approaches a work of art as a spiritual reality. In her painting and glass sculpture, she resolves configurations of simple shapes. Proceeding from an essentially architectonic conceptualization, she explores spatial relationships and the possibilities of ordering, sequencing, multiplying, varying and transforming phenomena that originate in rational consideration and are governed by proportional logic.
The abstract conceptual work on display comprises drawings, paintings in acrylics and combined techniques, and sculpture built of colored glass. Together, they offer insight into the oeuvre of the fascinating young Czech artist (born 1963). A daughter of artists, Matoušková is a member of the so-called Angry Generation of students who emerged in the late 1980s and early 1990s, during their country’s transformation from communist Czechoslovakia to the democratic Czech Republic. Grounded in a fertile historic culture, she has been involved in the process of freeing art from the constraints imposed by the former totalitarian regime, and has embraced the openness of the new order. Her experience includes work in diverse media, exhibitions, projects, symposia, teaching, and public presentations. Interested in contacts between visual arts, other art disciplines, and science, she draws on her country’s art traditions while she introduces the ideas and experimentation of the present. In the process, she develops her nation’s artistic heritage and renews its connections with world culture.
EDUCATION AND CAREER:
1984-90 UMPRUM Vysoká škola uměleckoprůmyslová v Praze – VŠUP/
Academy of Applied Arts in Prague, now Academy of Art, Architecture and Design
Glass studio: Prof. Stanislav Libenský Prof. Jaroslav Svoboda Prof. Vladimír Kopecký
Lives and works in Prague
Since1998 Member of the Club of Concretists /Klub konkrétistů
1999 series of lectures in United Kingdom "Ordinary Life or the Way under the Surface": Staffordshire University Stoke on Trent, Surrey College, Wolwerhampton College , Westminster College London
2005 the representant of Czech art at “Handwerk: Conversations in EuroCraft – Panel Discussion about Czech Glass“, Victoria & Albert Museum, London
SOLO EXHIBITIONS:
2008 Salon Klubu konkretistů Olomouc/ Salon of the Club of Concretists Olomouc: "Etudy a kompozice – 2. výstava k projektu Places – Hommage à Leo Kraft (společně s koncertem Sylvy Smejkalové: "Signály nad tratí") / Etudes and Compositions – 2nd exhibition to the project Places – Homage to Leo Kraft" (together with the concert of Sylva Smejkalová: "Signals above the Railway"), Olomouc, CZ
2007 Galerie Havelka / Gallery Havelka: "Tóny ploch – 1.výstava k projektu Places – Hommage à Leo Kraft / Tonal Surfaces – 1st exhibition to the project Places – Homage to Leo Kraft ", Prague…Paintings, glass sculpture
2005 Chappell Gallery New York: “Binding – Building“...Glass sculptures, blown glass (cat.)
2004 The Studio Glass Gallery, London: "New Works" (together with Ilja Bílek)...Glass sculptures
2004 Karolinum – Karlova univerzita v Praze / Charles University Prague: "Art and Fenomen" (together with Rieko Kimura and Hans-Günther Van Look)...Glass sculptures, (cat.)
2003 CzechPoint – Galerie des Tschechischen Zentrums: "Architekturen", Berlin...Glass sculptures
2003 Eliška Stölting / Glasgalerie Hittfeld: "Prof. Vladimír Kopecký und Anna Matoušková", Hittfeld bei Hamburg...Glass sculptures
2000 Dům U rudého vola /Galerie 99/ Dům umění města Brna: "Řada", Brno – CZ...Obrazy (Paintings)
2000 Gallery Nakama Tokyo...Glass sculptures, combined techniques , paintings
1999 The Studio Glass Gallery London...Glass sculptures, combined techniques, paintings, (cat.)
1998 Galerie V kapli: "VÁ-ZÁ-NÍ", Bruntál – CZ...Obrazy (Paintings)
1995 The Studio Glass Gallery / Alternative Art Galleries London... Glass sculptures,blown glass and paintings
1993 Galerie Groeneveld Almelo – Holland...Glass sculptures, blown glass, paintings
1992 Gallery Nakama, Tokyo...Glass sculptures and paintings
1992 Galerie Böhm : “Sklo a obrazy ”(”Glass and Paintings“), Prague
PARTICIPATION IN EXHIBITIONS :
2007 SOFA NY – Chappell Gallery, New York
Galerie Mánes / Galerie Havelka: ”VI. Art Prague – Veletrh současného umění” (”International Contemporary Art Fair”), Prague
Glasgalerie Hittfeld / Auswertiges Amt am Werderscher Markt: ”Zeitgenössische tschechische Glaskunst”, Berlin
2006 University of Brighton Gallery: ”Ten Years of Casting Glass Pelechov – Lhotský”, Brighton – United Kingdom
Kunstsammlungen der Veste Coburg: ”Coburger Glaspreis” (”Coburg Glass Prize for Contemporary Glass in Europe 2006”), Coburg – Germany, (cat.)
2005 Ministerstvo kultúry Slovenskej republiky (Ministery of Culture of the Slovak Republic) / Studio Lhotský: ”Lhotský – Sklo Pelechov – X rokov tavenej sklenenej plastiky” (”Ten Years of Czech Mould-melted Glass Sculpture”), Bratislava – Slovakia
SOFA 2005 – Chappell Gallery, Chicago
Galerie Evropa (Europe Art Gallery) / Studio Lhotský: ”Lhotský – Sklo Pelechov – X let tavené skleněné plastiky”(”Ten Years of Czech Mould-melted Glass Sculpture”), Žďár nad Sázavou – CZ
Moravská galerie v Brně / Studio Lhotský – Uměleckoprůmyslové muzeum: ”Lhotský – Sklo Pelechov – X let tavené skleněné plastiky” (”Ten Years of Czech Mould-melted Glass Sculpture”), Brno – CZ ,(cat.)
Ernsting Stiftung / Glasmuseum Alter Hof Herding: ”Zeitgenössisches tschechisches Glas”, Coesfeld-Lette – Germany
Chappell Gallery: "Vladimír Kopecký and his Sphere", New York
2004 SOFA 2004 – Chappell Gallery, Chicago
Glasgalerie Hittfeld / Museum für Kunst und Geverbe Hamburg: ”Zeitgenössische tschechische Glaskunst” (”Contemporary Czech Glass Art”), Hamburg – Germany
Severočeské muzeum v Liberci (Museum of Nortrthern Bohemia) / Zdeněk Lhotský: ”Lhotský s.r.o., X let tavené skleněné plastiky Pelechov” (”Ten Years of Czech Mould-melted Glass Sculpture”), Liberec – CZ
Glasgalerie Hittfeld / Kulturbüro Stadt Neumünster / 19.Schleswig-Holstein Musik-Festival / Wachholtz Verlag / Papierfabrik Neumünster : "Moderne Glaskunst aus Tschechien", Neumünster – Germany
Chappell Gallery: "A New Vanguard" , New York
Victoria & Albert Museum London: "Collect 2004 (The New Art Fair for Contemporary Objects)", London, (cat.)
2003 Creative Glass Center of America at Wheaton Village: ”Glass Weekend‘ 03”, Millville,
New Jersey – U.S.A.
Chappell Gallery Boston: ”Vladimira Klumpar, Anna Matoušková and Pavel Trnka (Configurations and Transformations: 3 students of Libenský)”, Boston – U.S.A.
Museum of Arts and Design: "Libenský and His School", New York (cat.)
SOFA NY 2003– Chappell Gallery, New York
2002 SOFA 2002 – Chappell Gallery, Chicago
Galeri Kamras / Borgholms Slott (Borgholm Castle) : "Global Art Glass Triennial 2002", Borgholm, Öland – Sweden, (cat.)
Divadlo Novanta / ZUŠ Mšeno / Galerie Erasmus: "Variace - 02", Mělník – CZ
Art & Design Gallery / The Pavilion – Staffordshire University: "Sensitive Touch", Stoke on Trent – United Kingdom, (cat.)
Tai-pei Fine Arts Museum : "Stanislav Libenský and His School”, Tai-pei, Taiwan, (cat.)
SOFA NY 2002 – Chappell Gallery, New York
M.A.V.A. Castillo de San José de Valderas – Alcorcón: "Sensitive Touch", Madrid, (cat.)
2001 Pabellón de Cristal de la Casa de Campo de Madrid: "De ARTE Actual – Feria de Galerías Españolas", Madrid
La Galería Real Fábrica de Cristales de la Granja / El CNV: "The Glass Museum", La Granja de San Ildefonso, Segovia – Spain (cat.)
Galerie Prager Kabinett Salzburg: "Stanislav Libenský und seine Schule", Salzburg –Austria, (cat.)
Národní technické muzeum Praha (National Technic Museum): "Stanislav Libenský a jeho škola" ("Stanislav Libenský and His Students"), Prague, (cat.)
Universita Palackého v Olomouci /Galerie IC UP Zbrojnice: "Klub konkrétistů – pražská sekce" ("Club of Concretists – Prague Section"), Olomouc – CZ
The Studio Glass Gallery: "Sensitive Touch", London, (cat.)
Uměleckoprůmyslové muzeum v Praze (Museum of Decorative Arts in Prague) / Bohemia Crystalex Trading: ”Mezinárodní sklářská symposia 1982-2000 Nový Bor" (”IGS 1982-2000 Nový Bor”), Praha, (cat.)
Tschechisches Zentrum Berlin: "Zeitgenössische tschechische Glaskunst", Berlin
Dům umění v Opavě (House of Arts of the City of Opava): "Klub konkrétistů" ("Club of Concretists"), Opava – CZ, (cat.)
Tjeckiska centret / České centrum (Czech Centre): "Pražská sekce Klubu konkrétistů" (”Club of Concretists – Prague Section”), Stockholm, (cat.)
First Art Forum: "Contemporary Glass in Czech, Vladimír Kopecký and his Family", Tokyo
1999 Sogetsu Kaikan: "Contemporary Czech Glass and Ikebana Sogetsu", Tokyo, (cat.)
Messezentrum Nürnberg: "3. Internationale Glaskunst Trienale", Nürnberg – Germany, (cat.)
Státní galerie ve Zlíně: ”II. Nový Zlínský salon”(”II.New Zlín Salon”), Zlín – CZ, (cat.)
Slovenská národná galéria Bratislava (Slovak National Gallery): "Klub konkretistov" ("Club of Concretists"), Bratislava – Slovakia
The Studio Glass Gallery: "Czech and British Contemporary Glass Sculpture (Auction in aid of Sue Ryder Foundation)", London ,(cat.)
1998 Design centrum České republiky (Design Centre of Czech Republic)/Dům umění města Brna (House of Arts of the City of Brno): "Mezinárodní bienále produktového designu"("International Bienninal of Product Design"), Brno – CZ
Alšova jihočeská galerie (Southbohemian Gallery): "Klub konkrétistů" ("Club of Concretists"), Hluboká nad Vltavou – CZ
1997 Eliška Stölting / Glasgalerie Hittfeld: "Young Czech Glass", Hittfeld bei Hamburg
Habatat Galleries: ”25-th Annual Invitational Habatat”, New York
Glasmuseum Ebeltoft: "Young Glass 1997", Ebeltoft – Danmark, (cat.)
1996 The Studio Glass Gallery: "Auction of Contemporary Czech and Slovak Glass Sculptures", London, (cat.)
Topičův salón: "Výtvarné léto 96"("Art Summer 96"), Prague
Zwolsche Algemeene: "Skulpturen", Nieuwegein – Holland
1995 Museum für Kunst und Gewerbe: "Meisterwerke moderner Tschechischer Glaskunst", Hamburg
The Studio Glass Gallery, London, (cat.)
Galeria San Nicolo: "Da Praga a Venezia - 10 Grandi Artisti del Vetro Contemporaneo Ceco", Venezia
Muzeum skla a bižuterie (Museum of Glass and Jewellery): "Česká tavená skleněná plastika"("Czech Mould-melted Glass Objects 1995") Jablonec nad Nisou – CZ, (cat.)
Dům u Jonáše: "Skleněná plastika"("Glass Sculpture"), Pardubice – CZ
1994 The Economist Building: "Contemporary Czech Glass Sculpture", London, (cat.)
14-th Biennial of Industrial Design, Ljubljana – Slovenia, (cat.)
Historisches Museum Bamberg: "Prager Glaskunst", Bamberg – Germany, (cat.) Galleri Kamras / Borgholms Slott: "Exhibition at Borgholm Castle", Borgholm ,Öland – Sweden
Galerie Art du Verre: "Czech Glass", Luxembourg
Muzeum skla a bižuterie (Museum of Glass and Jewellery): "Obrazy, sklo, plastiky" ("Paintings, Glass, Sculptures"), Jablonec nad Nisou – CZ, (cat.)
Severočeské muzeum v Liberci (Museum of Northern Bohemia): “Současné užité umění – výběr přírůstků Severočeského muzea z let 1990-93 “, Liberec – CZ
1993 Jan van der Togt Museum, Amstelveen – Holland
Midera Factory: "Kunst uit Tsjechië"(”Czech Art“), Roeselare – Belgium, (cat.)
Galerie Chelsea: "Zeitgenössische Kunst in Glas", Zürich
Real Fábrica de Cristales de La Granja: "Bohemia Cristal", La Granja de San Ildefonso, Segovia – Spain, (cat.)
1992 Galerie Vetro, Frankfurt am Main, (cat.)
Norre Port, Halmstad – Sweden
Kunst und Form Galerie: "Contemporary Studio Glass", Arnbruck – Germany
Galerie Stodola: "Sklodola", Český Krumlov – CZ, (cat.)
Galerie Steindlmüller: "Tschechisches Glas", Prien – Germany
Heller Gallery: "Prague Glass Prize 91", New York
1991 Galerie Böhm: "Konfrontace", PragueHandwerkmesse:
Espace Duchamp – Villon Centre: "Le verre – exposition internationale de verre contemporain", Rouen – France, (cat.)
Galerie Rob van den Doel: "Contemporary Glass", Prague
Galerie Ewers an Gross St. Martin: "Glasswettbewerb", Köln – Germany, (cat.)
Galerie Mánes: “Sklářská cena Praha 1991" ("Prague Glass Prize 1991"), Prague, (cat.)
Výstaviště (Exhibition Ground): “Všeobecná československá výstava 1991" ("Czechoslovak General Exhibition 1991"), Prague
"Talentbörse Handwerk", München, (cat.)
SYMPOSIUMS:
2005 University of Sunderland / The National Glass Centre : ”The Czech Glass Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow. One Day International Symposium”, Sunderland – United Kingdom
2004 ”GLASSART 04”, Middle European Colony of Contemporary Arts, Terezín /
Sklárna bratří Jílků (Glass Factory Jílek), Kamenický Šenov – CZ
1995 organization and participation at: Symposium skleněné tyče Trójský zámek (The Glass Rod Symposium in Troja Castle): ”Sklo v Tróji"("Glass in Troja"), Prague, (cat.)
1991 IV. Interglass Symposium, Nový Bor – CZ, (cat.)
1991 Gewerbepark Rankweil: "Kunst – Umění", Rankweil , Vorarlberg – Austria, (cat.)
HEAD OF WORKSHOP:
1998 Cursos Monográficos: Anna Matoušková, September 21st-25th, "Escultura en Vidrio" ("Glass sculpturing"), Fundación Centro Nacional del Vidrio – Real Fábrica de Cristales de La Granja, La Granja de San Ildefonso, Segovia – Spain
WORKS IN PUBLIC COLLECTIOS:
Severočeské muzeum v Liberci (Museum of Northern Bohemia), Liberec – CZ
Zámek Lemberk (Lemberk Castle), Jablonné v Podještědí – CZ
Kunstsammlungen der Veste Coburg / Museum für Modernes Glas – Orangerie Schloss Rosenau, Coburg – Germany ,(cat.)
Jan van der Togt Museum, Amstelveen – Holland
Sbírka České spořitelny (Česká spořitelna Collection), Prague
Zámek Bezdružice (Bezdružice Castle),Bezdružice – CZ
M.A.V.A. Castillo de San José de Valderas – Alcorcón, Madrid
Ernsting Stiftung / Glasmuseum Alter Hof Herding, Coesfeld-Lette – Germany ,(cat.)
and numerous private collections
COMMISSIONS IN ARCHITECTURE:
Azabuka Sumicyo Park Mansion, Minato-ku, Tokyo
AWARDS:
Soutěž Dobrý design 1991 (Competition Good Design 1991) – ”Vybráno Design centrem České Republiky”("Selected by the Design Centre of Czech Republic")
GRANTS:
Česko–německý Fond budoucnosti, Praha / Deutsch-Tschechischer Zukunftsfond:
Česko- německý projekt výstavy / Czech-German project of an exhibition Art & Fenomen
BIBLIOGRAPHY:
Fabritius Heinke – Naslouchání. světlu a barvě / Listening to Light and Colour / Vom Hören auf Licht und Farbe (Czech, English, German), in: Art & Fenomen (cat.), pp. 53-57, ill., Praha 2004
Janoušek Ivo (English, Spanish) – in: Sensitive Touch (cat.) , ill., London 2001
Janousek Ivo (English) – in: Global Art Glass Triennial 2002 (cat.), Borgholm 2002
Kohoutová Marie – Řád daný krystalu – s Annou Matouškovou o odkrývání tvarů, růstu skal a počátku a konci variací / rozhovor (interview) (Czech), in: internetový časopis (internet magazine) Glassrevue 2003 / 6 www.glassrevue.com , ill., Praha 2003
Matoušek Alexander – Vyvažování a vázání / Balancing and Binding / Bindung und Balance (Czech, English, German), in: Art & Fenomen (cat.), pp. 46-52, ill., Praha 2004
Mitášová Monika (English, Slovak) – in: Binding – Building (cat.), pp.5-9, ill.,
Chappell Gallery, New York 2005
Pohribný Arsén – Vázání (Czech), in: Ateliér 1998/13, p.5, ill., Praha 1998
Schack von Wittenau Clementine - Glaskunst oder Kunst ? / Art Glass or Art ? (German, English), in: Neues Glas und Studioglas / New Glass and Studio Glass, pp.13,21,218-219, ill., Coburg 2005
Sepp Hans Rainer – Úvodem / Introduction / Zur Einführung (Czech, English, German),
in: Art & Fenomen (cat.), pp. 17-21, ill., Praha 2004
Suda Kristián – Back to A Sense of Order, The Glass Objects of Anna Matoušková (English, Japan), in: Glasswork 1992 / 12, pp. 28-30, ill., Tokyo 1992
Valoch Jiří – Řada (Czech), text na pozvánce k výstavě v Domě U rudého vola / Galerie 99 / Dům umění města Brna (invitation card text to the exhibition), Brno 2000
COMMENTARY ON OWN WORK:
Religismus, in: Speculum 1989 / 2, (samizdat), Praha 1989; (2. Religismus / Religism / Religismus (Czech, English, German), in: Art & Fenomen (cat.), pp. 42-46, ill., Praha 2004) If You Cannot Sculpt It, You Must Build It / Nelze-li sochařit, je třeba stavět (English,Czech), in: The Studio Glass Gallery, London 1999, (cat.); (2. Nelze-li sochařit, je třeba stavět / Where You Cannot Sculpt, You Must Build / Nicht Hauen – Bauen (Czech, English, German), in: Art & Fenomen, (cat.), pp. 38-42, Praha 2004)
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