Ales Lamr, the artist, has passed away

Prague – At the age of 80, today in Prague, the artist, graphic designer, sculptor, and ceramicist Aleš Lamr passed away. He became known to the public, among other things, for his collaboration with the first post-Velvet Revolution president Václav Havel. His works also decorated a number of interiors of modern architecture. The farewell ceremony will take place in a close family circle. His son Jan Lamr informed ČTK about this.

The artist Aleš Lamr was born in 1943 in Olomouc. He came from a family of stonemasons and ceramicists who had been active for several generations in Litovel. He studied spatial art at the Secondary School of Applied Arts in Brno, where he gained experience in scenography, painting, and graphic design, including working with various sculptural materials. He briefly worked at Barrandov in film as an assistant director.

Lamr was actively involved in the Czech art scene since 1968. At that time, he was one of the first to focus on the Czech version of pop art. During the normalization period, his colorful visions transformed; he found a path to faith and began to process spiritual symbols referring to the Bible and Christian tradition. However, the fundamental characteristic of his work remained the same: bright colors in clearly delineated areas of organic shapes, rhythm, and repetition of individual motifs.

Among other things, Lamr contributed to the artistic design and creation of murals in the presidential office at Prague Castle during Václav Havel's tenure. At his request, he also created several New Year cards and small prints.

He realized several significant commissions in architecture, many of which were also in exteriors. His colorfully vibrant works are represented in many important collections in the Czech Republic and around the world, including the Museum of Modern Art in Paris.

For his artistic activity, he received several awards, such as the III. prize at the Premio Juan Miró in Barcelona in 1985, the Salvador Dalí Award for artistic activity in 2000, and Graphic of the Year 2005. His significant book work included illustrations for the Bible in 2009.

The City Museum and Gallery in Svitavy opened an exhibition titled Three Lamrs last March. The exhibition presented the works of three artists – Aleš Lamr and his sons Hanuš and Jan. The current works of these artists from one family, whose creations are very different, will be showcased between May 4 and July 28 at the Ludvik Kuba Gallery in Poděbrady.