Giclée on handmade paper, passe-partout, 30x40 cm. Limited edition of 35 pieces released on the occasion of Zdeněk Burian's exhibition 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 as a child, and at fourteen (in 1919), he was accepted into the second year of Professor Jakub Obrovský's class at the Academy of Fine Arts (AVU) in Prague, 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 simple criticism 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 family's financial situation was also a burden—there were no funds for long-term study.
The Academy formally provided him with 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 publishing house in Prague in 1921. This debut marked the beginning of Burian's long collaboration with Vilímek's publishing house, which was among the most significant in then-Czechoslovakia and for which he also illustrated later famous titles by Jules Verne, Karel May, and Jack London.
In the 1930s, Zdeněk Burian also illustrated for other important publishing houses, such as Melantrich, where adventure and popular science books were published. Here he illustrated, among others, books by Czech authors – for example, Rudolf Luskáč, whose stories from exotic natural environments 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 work appeared, for example, in the magazines Tramp, Zápisník, Pionýr, or in specialized publications. Zdeněk Burian illustrated over 500 books during his lifetime and created thousands of illustrations – from adventure literature to popular science books and 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.
