Jiri Kolar

Jiri Kolar was born the son of a baker in Protivin, 120 kilometers south of Prague. He worked as a laborer and a waiter before finishing his grade school education in 1929.

His first collection of poetry, “Birth Certificate” appeared in 1941. He moved to Prague four years later, and worked as an editor. He published five books of verse before his works were banned by communist authorities in 1949.

During the 50s he begun to work in the visual media and today he is famous for his collages and his innovative use of unconventional expressive forms – chiasmages, rollages, wrinklages. His works from the 60s on the other hand are characterized by geometrical abstraction, visual poems and representations of technical objects.