The painting by Josef Čapek "Drinker" was auctioned in Prague for a record 34 million CZK

Prague – The painting Piják by Josef Čapek was auctioned today in Prague for a record 34.08 million crowns, including the auction premium, at the Kodl Gallery. Čapek's previous auction record was 30.6 million for the painting Nevěstka at an auction last November. The oil painting Piják from 1919 started at today's auction with a starting price of nine million crowns, stated the gallery in a press release.

According to the gallery, Piják is a rare early work by Josef Čapek. The painting depicts a man at a table, wearing a hat, engrossed in a glass of wine. He is a typically Čapek-like ordinary type, through which the author conquers what transcends mere documentation of social plight, the gallery's curators noted. The formal language of the painting is characteristic of Čapek's cubism from the turn of the 1910s and 1920s.

Today's auction at the Kodl Gallery was primarily a tribute to the painter, costume designer, and scenographer Theodor Pištěk. "We were honored to have been able to collaborate with him for an extended period, often meeting in person to discuss art," said the gallery owner Martin Kodl. One of Pištěk's paintings belonged to the works that were auctioned today for the highest prices. His oil painting Self-Portrait by the Window I was acquired by the winning collector for 15.6 million crowns, which is the second highest price for Pištěk's works.

Self-Portrait by the Window I was created during the period of harsh normalization, when Pištěk turned to the motif of cloaked human figures as a symbol of both personal and social unfreedom. The painting depicts a head wrapped in crumpled paper, resembling a discarded ancient bust, and according to the gallery, it acts as "a silenced object without identity." The work entered the auction with a starting price of eight million crowns.

Among the highly watched items, according to the gallery, was also Landscape, a masterpiece by French surrealist Yves Tanguy from 1935. It sold for 18 million crowns. An oil painting Quiet Cove by Jakub Schikaneder from 1910 to 1915 was auctioned for about 15.7 million, making it the second most expensive painting by this author.

Collectors also acquired, for example, the painting Night from 1947 by the peak period of painter Karel Černý for 7.4 million. Emil Filla's 1929 painting Still Life with a Melon was sold for 6.7 million, and Václav Špála's oil painting On the Vltava from 1927 for 7.9 million. The gallery noted that the collection of works by Josef Lada was traditionally successful, with, for example, Hrusice from spring 1941 selling for 4.1 million and Plowing from 1949 for nearly four million. A significant price increase was recorded for Adriena Šimotová with her June Day from 1965. Her tempera on wooden board entered the auction with a starting price of 800,000 crowns and sold for 3.1 million. Eva Švankmajerová set a personal record, with her Trace from 1976 auctioned for 1.8 million.

The Kodl Gallery traditionally dedicated the first part of Sunday’s auction to charity. To support the artistic projects of the Prague Spring festival, the first six items created specifically for this occasion by contemporary artists – Michal Cimala, Jan Hísek, Pavla Malinová, Karolina Netolická, Jakub Špaňhel, and Vladimír Véla – were auctioned. The festival will receive 515,000 crowns, half of the amount for the entire collection. A set of works by Ota Janeček, Jaroslav Róna, Adéla Oliva, Martin Herold, Miroslava Zychová, Emma Srncová, Karel Gott, and Jan Mikulka was auctioned in favor of the socially rehabilitative Paraple Center. 942,500 crowns will go to the Paraple Center.

The auction offered 217 works with a total starting amount of over 118 million crowns. 95 percent were sold for a total of 247.5 million. There were 400 people in the auction hall, about 400 bidders on the phone lines, and other buyers online on the Artslimit portal. "This is good news for all Czech fine arts. As prices rise, interest from collectors and the prestige of creators also grow," Kodl stated.