People today said goodbye to the sculptor Vladimír Preclík

Prague - Today, people said their last goodbye to the sculptor Vladimír Preclík at the Church of St. Giles in Prague's Old Town, who passed away on April 3rd. The mourning gathering was attended by several dozen people, including some artists and art historians.
    Vladimír Preclík was born on May 23, 1929, in Hradec Králové, and after completing his apprenticeship as a carpenter, he studied at the Higher Industrial School of Sculpture and Stoneworking in Hořice and then with Josef Wagner at the Fine Arts Academy in Prague.
    Hořice is also connected to regular international sculptural symposia, through which Preclík became known, and at which artists from various countries have been creating monumental sculptures for over four decades. Thus, over the years, a large open-air exhibition emerged in Eastern Bohemia.
    However, Preclík's work had many layers; he often used natural materials, exploring their possibilities and limits, and had a penchant for surprising combinations and unconventional surface treatments. His colorful sculptures, created in the 50s and 60s, are unusual. In addition to sculpture, Preclík devoted himself to painting, graphic arts, drawing, and published several books. He also trained the upcoming generation of artists and was Dean of the Faculty of Fine Arts at the Brno University of Technology.
In February, a permanent gallery of Preclík’s works was opened at the seat of the Hradec Králové Region Office in the former brewery in Hradec. The author donated part of his work and his archive to his native region. In the entrance atrium of the headquarters, 30 sculptures, five paintings, and also nine graphic sheets are on display.
    One of the last works by Preclík known to the general public is the monument to the Second Resistance in Prague's Klárov. More than the monument itself, many remember the twists and turns that accompanied its creation. Preclík did not win in the competition; he came in second. The winner, David Černý, outraged the Czech Union of Freedom Fighters with his statements. The union rejected his work, while the Prague 1 city hall complied and chose Preclík.