Jindrich Styrsky

The first comprehensive monograph on Jindrích Štyrský, one of the most important artists in the Czech avant-garde. Štyrský (1899-1942) was a multi-talented genius; primarily a painter and photographer, he was also a writer and editor. Precocious, he began executing remarkable, original artwork in his teens and soon connected with soulmates Karel Teige, the painter Toyen, and the poet Vitezslav Nezval who would form the nexus of the Czech avant-garde. Štyrsky took part in the Devetsil movement, developed with Toyen "Artificialism" (an quasi-surrealist original take prefiguring tachism), produced shockingly erotic photomontages, collages, drawings and publications. He was a major surrealist painter, and finally a force of inner resistance in the German occupation. This book is the first to explore his contribution in great depth, and is an invaluable resource for understanding or cataloguing his oeuvre.