Results of the 91st KODL Gallery auction - Contemporary Art

Those interested in contemporary art could choose from a diverse range of artists, from beginners to established authors. Interest was also aroused by the variety of represented media. Traditional painting was complemented by objects, drawings, photographs and glass sculptures, several of which were represented in the auction repertoire.

The most expensive work of the contemporary author was Theodor Pištěk's painting Variation No. 1 (achieved price: CZK 9,600,000), which also became the author's record in the category of geometric abstraction. After all, the category of abstract art is traditionally very popular with collectors. A painting by Pištěk's son, Jan Pištěk, Mutual Love, following on from a series of paintings called Symbols from the early 1990s, also recorded a high increase, which rose from the starting price of 250,000 to the amount of CZK 408,000. The amount of CZK 540,000 was reached by Jan Kaláb's spectacular work, Flaming Kaleidoscope 1123, and the work End of an Age, the theme of (not only) the end of our age, by Štefan Tóth, which reached an author's record of CZK 216,000, was also of interest to collectors. A characteristic representative of the work of Jiří Georg Dokoupil, the painting Napoleon Fix then reached the respectable sum of CZK 780,000.

Numerous authors were represented at the auction, who not only made a significant mark in the field of contemporary art, but also worked or still work as pedagogues at Prague art schools: the Academy of Fine Arts and the Academy of Applied Arts. Among the works of intermedial artist Michal Cimala, the painting Cache Memory, which thematizes questions of modern technology and its future, was selected for the auction (achieved price: CZK 192,000). The work No Fun, carried out in a special exaggeration, presented the recent work of Jiří Černický, dedicated to the complex issues of racism and the European distorted perception of Arab culture (achieved price: CZK 192,000). Jiří Sopko's optimistically tuned canvas Dancer represented the author's prized period of the 1980s, when he reacted to the difficult socio-political situation and its gradual easing (achieved price: CZK 600,000). The fused glass sculpture Supporting the important co-founder of the Tvrdohlaví group, Jaroslav Róna, inspired by the film of the same name by Pavel Juráček from 1663, reached a price of CZK 360,000. The work Transculent by Rony Plesl became the most expensive drawing sold by this author (achieved price: CZK 96,000).

Several works by authors were auctioned, the roots of whose artistic language could be found in the environment of the graffiti scene and street art. Auctioned in the amount of CZK 372,000 was the work JB 007 of Pasta Oner, thematizing the phenomenon of the famous "Bond Girls" and the perception of the female body in the 1950s and 1960s in America. A surprising result (CZK 384,000) was achieved by Michal Škapa's work David's Head, which climbed above the estimated price (CZK 200,000 - 300,000) and thus achieved an author's record. The work, which was presented twice at the Scope Art Show in the USA, referred to the canonical work of art history, Michelangelo's statue of David.

Another of the contemporary sculptors represented at the auction, Martin Janecký, also draws from classical art. His Last Thinker cannot help but remind us of the iconic work of the modern sculptor August Rodin, but its theme and appearance allude to ancient busts of philosophers. The opal glass object, for the creation of which the author used one of the most difficult disciplines in working with glass - "inside sculpting", achieved an incredible result of CZK 780,000, which became the author's record. The work Vertical Blue by conceptual designer Lukáš Novák also draws from ancient culture, referring to the ancient Greek caryatid, which, instead of a horizontally positioned cornice, brings out a transparent blue prism, symbolizing the eternal question of relating to forces that surpass human society. This work also reached the price of the author's record, 540,000 CZK. In the category of glass sculptures, Rudolf Burda's work Star of Jungle, which reflects the author's fascination with space and wild nature, also shone, reaching a price of CZK 660,000.

The youngest representative of the contemporary scene at the auction, Adam Kašpar, was presented with the work Velká Niva depicting a national nature reserve with natural forest stands and endemic culture, which was auctioned for CZK 156,000.