Exhibition brings works of late Czech painter Zdenek Sklenar back to Beijing
An exhibition showcasing more than 60 works from late Czech painter Zdenek Sklenar (1910-86), including a series of the artist’s black-and-white paintings about the legendary Chinese figure the Monkey King, kicked off in Beijing on Wednesday.
Held at Prince Kung’s Mansion by institutions including the Times Art Museum and the Embassy of the Czech Republic, the show includes 14 original illustrations that Sklenar painted for the book The Handsome Monkey King.
Published in the Czech Republic in 1960, the book focuses on the story of the monkey hero from the classic Chinese novel Journey to the West.
Inspired by the Peking Opera Sklenar attended during his visit to the Chinese mainland in 1955 as one of a number of Czech artists on a cultural exchange program, the artist’s Monkey King series of paintings first debuted in Beijing in 2009.
The paintings became a hit when they were shown at the Shanghai Expo in 2010.
The 1955 China trip has a huge impact on Sklenar’s artistic style.
He “drew strong inspiration from Chinese landscape painting traditions” which began to “appear repeatedly in his paintings” after his return from China, Sklenar’s nephew junior Zdenek Sklenar told China Central Television during an interview in 2010.
The exhibition will run until June 24.