Giclée on handmade paper, passe-partout, 30x40 cm. Limited edition of 35 pieces issued for the exhibition of Zdeněk Burian at the Czech Gallery of Modern Art.
About the artist:
Zdeněk Michael František Burian was born on February 11, 1905, in Kopřivnice. He showed extraordinary artistic talent in childhood, and at the age of fourteen (in 1919), he was accepted into the second year at the Academy of Fine Arts (AVU) in Prague under Professor Jakub Obrovský, with support for his admission coming directly from Max Švabinský.
He stayed at the Academy for less than two years. After the second year, in 1921, he left the school. The reason was not a simple critique of the teaching, but rather a combination of personal and existential reasons. Sources state that he did not feel comfortable in the big city environment and in the company of older classmates. The financial situation of his family was also a burden – there were no funds for long-term study.
The Academy formally gave him a foundation, but long-term academic study did not suit him, and life circumstances led him to the professional practice of an illustrator and painter.
After leaving the Academy, he began to earn a living as an illustrator at the age of sixteen.
His first illustrated book was "The Adventures of David Balfour" by Robert Louis Stevenson, published by Jos. R. Vilímek in Prague in 1921.
This debut launched Burian's long collaboration with Vilímek's publishing house, which was among the most important in then-Czechoslovakia and for which he later illustrated famous titles by Jules Verne, Karel May, and Jack London.
In the 1930s, Zdeněk Burian also illustrated for other important publishers, such as Melantrich, which published adventure and popular science books. Among others, he illustrated books by Czech authors – for example, Rudolf Luskáč, whose stories from exotic nature were very popular.
After World War II, Burian's collaboration shifted to the newly established State Publishing House for Children's Books (SNDK), which was renamed Albatros in 1969. Here, his most famous illustrations for the works of Eduard Štorch (prehistoric novels) and for the popular science books of Josef Augusta (Cave Bear Hunters, From Ancient Ages, Pictures from Prehistory) were created. These books significantly contributed to the popularization of prehistory, and Burian's illustrations became a global phenomenon.
In addition to his main partners, Burian also collaborated with smaller publishing houses, for which he created individual illustrations, covers, or magazine contributions. His works appeared, for example, in magazines such as Tramp, Zápisník, Pionýr, and in specialized publications. Zdeněk Burian illustrated over 500 books during his life and created thousands of illustrations – from adventure literature to popular science books, to iconic reconstructions of prehistory.
Zdeněk Michael František Burian died on June 1, 1981, in Prague, and is one of the most prolific and influential Czech painters and illustrators of the 20th century.
