The Mohelnice Museum presents the work of Olbram Zoubek

Olbram Zoubek (photo: Alexandr Skalický st.)

Mohelnice (Šumperk) - More than thirty life-sized sculptures, as well as other works by leading Czech sculptor Olbram Zoubek, are being presented at the Mohelnice museum starting today. Visitors can not only admire the works on display but can also purchase some of them. This exhibition is a significant cultural event in the region and will last until the end of August, said museum director Zbyněk Žouželka today.
    The exhibition features 33 life-sized sculptures reflecting the master's work from 1970 to the present. The sculptures are around two meters tall or more. They are spread throughout the museum, starting from the hallway to the courtyard and into the exhibition spaces. This allows visitors to be drawn into the exhibition as soon as they enter the museum, stated Žouželka.
    However, the exhibition also includes more intimate sculptures composed of reliefs or smaller statues. These exhibits are also available for sale.
    Olbram Zoubek last exhibited in Mohelnice 17 years ago. For the museum representatives, this is a significant event. "It is a huge honor for me personally and for the Mohelnice museum, which falls under the Local History Museum in Šumperk. It is a presentation of top works by a world-renowned author in the Olomouc region," added Žouželka.
    Zoubek has been creating his sculptures since 1952. He gained public recognition in 1969 when he cast the death mask of Jan Palach and created a relief for his tombstone as well as for the tombstone of his follower Jan Zajíc. During the normalization period, when he could not support himself through his own work, he worked with artists Zdeněk Palcr, Stanislav Podhrázský, and Václav Boštík as a restorer at the castle in Litomyšl in the Svitavy region. In his work, he draws particularly from ancient biblical, Greek, and more recently, Slavic myths.