At the age of 78, art historian and educator Ivo Hlobil has died

Prague - Art historian Ivo Hlobil passed away on Tuesday at the age of 78. Barbara Líznerová from the Institute of Art History of the Academy of Sciences, where Hlobil worked, informed ČTK about it today. He was one of the prominent figures in the field of art history in the Czech Republic as well as a respected Czech art historian on an international scale. He also trained several generations of art historians, and according to Líznerová, his practical contributions to heritage conservation are significant.

In addition to his writings focusing on the theory of the Czech restoration school, he was an active heritage conservationist involved in various disputes that were often politically sensitive and socially significant. His role in the post-revolution restoration of the Department of Art History at the Faculty of Arts of Palacký University in Olomouc is also notable in the field of education. As an emeritus professor, even after his active teaching career in Olomouc ended, he continued to contribute as a supervisor and a member of the field council to the scientific education of young art historians in doctoral studies.

Hlobil's main scientific interest was European art of the Middle Ages and early Renaissance. His interest soon developed into a body of work addressing the most important questions of Central European art historical medieval studies. Since the turn of the millennium, he has been intensively focusing on Prague's St. Vitus Cathedral, its architectural and sculptural forms, and the personality of the significant artist active in the Czech lands in the 14th century – Petr Parléř. On this subject, he published several articles mostly in international journals and conference proceedings.

He also served on several advisory boards, such as the Heritage Council of the Mayor of Prague. In recent years, Hlobil's professional interest shifted to the period that was also significant for Czech art in a European context, namely the period of the so-called Beautiful Style around 1400.

Among Hlobil's fundamental achievements are exhibitions of medieval art. The exhibition From Gothic to Renaissance: Visual Culture of Moravia and Silesia 1400–1550 from the late 1990s was the first to showcase the late medieval cultural wealth of Moravia and Czech Silesia in such scope, accompanied by a five-part scientific catalog. After several stops in the Czech Republic, the exhibition had a reprise at Palazzo Venezia and thus became the very first major showcase of older Czech art in Rome. In further exhibitions, he collaborated intensively with the Museum of Art in Olomouc and the National Gallery in Prague.