Birmingham library hosts Czech artist’s first UK exhibition

The Library of Birmingham is set to host the first UK exhibition by leading contemporary Czech artist Pavel Brázda.

The exhibition, which is taking place at the library until July 1, has been organised by the Embassy of the Czech Republic, Birmingham City Council and the Ikon Gallery.

Despite the originality and pioneering nature of his art, Pavel Brázda was unrecognised for most of his life after being neglected by the official art scene during the Communist era for political reasons.

Now almost 91, Pavel is finally fulfilling his idea of making his art available to a broader public by working on a computer to produce digital prints.

The exhibition presents a selection of works from the artist’s colourful Human Comedy cycle, in celebration of a career which spans more than seven decades.

The Human Comedy cycle is a parable in images, a testament to the world we live in, to human joys and predicaments, and in the series, good and evil get equal treatment. The primary theme of the exhibition is the age-old discord between masculinity and femininity.

Pavel said: “This series is structured into individual chapters, each with a beginning and end. It all begins with birth and youth. Then it spans across a range of erotic themes to more dramatic and existential topics, such as old age or death.”

In the 1940s, the artist invented his own art movement called “Hominism”, which he defined as ‘art about people and for people’.

Pavel said: “It was important to me that a larger group of people be engaged with art, unlike with modern art, which often ends up in the possession of a few wealthy collectors. My wish was that art could be widely distributed in the form of replicas which would be accessible to anyone.”

The exhibition is now open at the Library of Birmingham on Level 3 in Centenary Square.