Legnica Jewellery Festival SILVER - VKN

VKN - Artist & Friend

VRATISLAV KAREL NOVÁK

On February 2014 passed away the great sculptor, jeweller and friend of the Gallery of Art in Legnica Vratislav Karel Novák. He was born in 1942 in Czechoslovakia (currently the Czech Republic). He graduated from the Academy of Arts, Architecture and Design in Prague (Jan Nušl’s Special Studio for Artistic Metalwork 1961-1967). After he had finished his studies, he established own studio in Jablonec nad Nisou. He worked as appointed Professor at the Academy of Arts in Prague and from 1993 to 2007 he was the head of the Sculpture Studio specializing in metalwork and jewellery.

Vratislav Karel Novák is famous not only for his unique jewellery, but also for kinetic sculptures and installations with electrical engienes, sources of light, belt pulleys and transmission gears. The most recognizable objects created by Novák are: Crystalline Tower – almost 30 meters high tower made of steel, mica and titanium at Cincinnati Park and Metronom – 18 meters high swinging hand at Letna Park in Prague.

Vratislav Karel Novák’s jewellery maintains the integrity of style and continuity of message. His works are associated with movement, space-time and human body, what is stressed clearly by combining objects with photographs. The most characteristic of his works are tension, maintaining mathematical and physical order and rythm gold division, balance and center of gravity.

Vratislav Karel Novák was author of dozen or so individual exhibitions among other: Body objects, cyclotes, structures, Bauhaus, Dessau, Germany (1989); Public presentation, Moravská Gallery, Brno, Czech Republic (1993); Jewellery and objects in photography, North Gallery, Miami University, Oxford, Ohio, USA (1996); Twenty rings for twenty fingers, Society of North American Goldsmiths, St. Louis, Missouri, USA (1999); Lit up, Gambit Gallery, Prague, Czech Republic (2000); Jewellery, Českého ráje Museum, Turnov, Czech Republic (2004); Broken glasses, Contacto Directo Gallery, Lisboa, Portugal (2004); Soul-Bladders 2002 – 2004, Pecka Gallery, Prague, Czech Republic (2005); Forever the same different, Zichyho Palace, Bratislava, Slovakia (2007); Identification, Oblastní Gallery, Liberec, Czech Republic (2007); Cabinet of Curiosities, Gallery of Art, Legnica, Poland (2008).

He recived: Silver medal at the 4^th International Exhibition of Jewellery in Jablonec nad Nisou (1980); Gold medal, Award of Bayerischen Staatsregierung, International Handwerkmesse, Munich (1996); 1^st prize of the International Competition of Theodore M. Berry, International Friendship Park (2005).

The works and photos presented at the exhibition, come from Cabinet of Curiosities. That exhibition was originally presented during the Legnica Festival of Silver. Thanks to them, we would like to resemble the profile of this outstanding artist and our friend.

Open: 22nd April – 31st May, Tu-Fr: 11.00 a.m. – 6.00 p.m., Sa: 10.00 a.m. – 2.00 p.m.

Place: Satyrykon Gallery, Rynek 36