Vladimír Preclík’s Gift to the Hradec Králové Region
23/05/25–31/05/26

curators: Petra Příkazská, Anna Horák Zemanová | GVP

Presented in the form of an open depository, the exhibition Vladimír Preclík’s Gift to the Hradec Králové Region includes all the works from a collection donated by the sculptor Vladimír Preclík (fifty-four works in total), supplemented by other works from the collection of the Gallery of Modern Art in Hradec Králové.

Besides creating three-dimensional works, the sculptor Vladimír Preclík (1929–2008) also devoted himself to painting, drawing, graphic art and literature. Preclík first came to attention in the 1960s thanks to his wooden sculptures. In his work, he combined woodcarving traditions with new, abstract tendencies. He succumbed to the charm of assemblages, in which he combined hand-carved wooden elements with glass, leather or fur before painting the final product. His sculptures possess a sense of humour or an ironic subtext. A no less important part of his oeuvre are his stone sculptures, many of which were made for public spaces. In 2004, he undertook the task of putting together a set of sculptures titled The Story of Man’s Suffering and Hope for a modern Stations of the Cross near Kuks, to which he contributed one piece as well.

Preclík frequently visited his hometown and its surroundings, and in 2008, shortly before his death, he donated a representative set of his works to the Hradec Králové Region. This generous gift of fifty-four works from various periods in his career also includes portraits of Vladimír Preclík by leading Czech artists such as Jiří Kolář and Adolf Hoffmeister. Three sculptures have been permanently installed in the courtyard of the Hradec Králové Region’s administrative offices. The rest of the collection can be seen at the Vladimír Preclík Gallery in the form of an open depository. They are exhibited in all their rawness and diversity, just as they were donated by the artist.