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533:'s feet, which Valenta spotted in a fashion magazine and converted into a flat sign. The twisted thumb disturbs the perfect composition and brings up feelings of humanity, tenderness and vulnerability. The cycle develops the artist's spiritual conception of the link between the corporeal and the ephemeral in the order of the world. The dominant colour is white, complemented by pencil drawing and accentuated by a fragment of an area of pure colour. Metallic elements are affixed to a ground of wood or Plexiglas to complement the irregular areas of transparent film, and white and coloured papers pasted in as a collage (
362:(1962-1963). The portraits were Valenta's records of various situations, concrete things or even a conversation. The striated lines of the circular patterns in the surface of the relief paint suggest movement and internal tension, but the imperfect forms and shapes are only phases of an open-ended process. The change in the painting's lava-like texture towards a dull and slightly pinkish synthetic paste is related to the transition to organic structures in the following cycle of
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408:. It was a reaction to his departure from the country to which he was tied by his roots and an expression of his personal connection to the leading Czech medieval master, who became for him at that moment an important emotional security and a necessary clue in the vastness of an unknown world. The depressing realisation that he is unable to influence the events that are taking place outside of him and without his input is expressed in the paintings from 1970 (
537:, 1972–1975). The subject matter for the paintings consists of a large series of drawings, interconnected by repetitive marks transmitted through stencils, which are gradually altered and simplified to a final predominance of white. The purpose of the meditation that the painter conducts in the course of his conceptual work is the liberation and emptying of the interior and the attainment of absolute purity.
604:, 1979), have an overtly erotic subtext. Valenta continued to take photographs until 1991 and also created colourful, often informel compositions. "Just as in painting, where he wanted to reach the limit of the absolute, where form and perfection collided, in photography he wanted to reach the last possibility, beyond which nothing opens up anymore, because a full stop has been made."
366:(1963-1964), where the formations become isolated as white circles surrounded by a shabby structural painting. Valenta's painterly development has an internal logic from which he does not deviate, even in the mid-1960s, when many of his generational comrades returned to figuration. Valenta continued his cycle of abstract
226:). In the following years he exhibited at the Mánes Gallery in Prague and Regional Gallery of Highlands in Jihlava and in 1967 he was accepted into the Czechoslovak Art Union. Together with architect M. Hrubý, Valenta prepared the reconstruction of the Chapel of St. John of Nepomuk in the village of Stáj, but after the
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In 1978, Jiří Valenta felt that he was no longer able to express himself through painting, so he stopped painting and devoted himself to photography for the rest of his life. Linhartová suggests that in his case, the over-theorizing may have become an obstacle to the spontaneous process of creation.
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with white cups, with shadows tinted a light brown (chamois). He had some of them framed and hung them on the white-painted walls of his
Cologne apartment, which gradually became a work of art itself, reflecting Valenta's obsession with purity. The following series of images, which zoom in on parts
975:
Mahulena Nešlehová, The
Message of Another Expression : the Concept of "Informel" in Czech Art of the 1950s and the First Half of the 1960s, published by the Prague Art Gallery. BASE, ARTetFACT, Prague 1997, ISBN 80-902160-0-5 (ARTetFACT ; bound), ISBN 80-902481-0-1 (BASE ;
424:. They sketch a space with a central perspective, the indifferent outlines of circular sections suggesting fragments of bodies. The golden metallic surface as a symbol of the divine presence and the rich blue and red colours may suggest an association with medieval paintings.
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2016/2017 Jiří Valenta a mysterium uměleckého znovzrození: Informelní tendence v 50. a 60. letech 20. století / Jiří Valenta and the
Mystery of Artistic Rebirth: Informel Tendencies in the 50's and 60's of the 20th Century, Museum Kampa - Jana a Medy Mládkových Foundation,
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In 1963, he had his first solo exhibition of drawings at the Mánes Club, and in 1965 he exhibited his paintings and drawings in Brno. In the same year, he was selected along with five other young
European artists for an exhibition at the
331:, 1959). In the late 1950s and early 1960s he turned to structural painting. The relief structure and colour of his paintings, reduced to natural light ochres, sands, creams and greenish tones, were directly inspired by the rocks in the
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261:, where he was employed by the local municipality as a technical draughtsman from 1973 and participated in the preparation of the Cologne city plan. In the 1980s he travelled extensively (France, England, Italy, Holland, Africa).
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Until 1990, he made around 5,000 images, which he developed and saved as negatives, but only a small part of them were enlarged. His last drawings are followed by his earliest black and white photographs, a series of
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From 1951 to 1953 he attended the Higher School of Arts and Crafts in Prague. In his second year he received an exemption as an exceptional talent and at the age of seventeen was admitted to the
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Valenta's artistic expression tended towards contemplation, which also asserted itself through colour, first as a luminous background in the series of paintings
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At the end of the 1980s he was diagnosed with a malignant tumour. In 1990 and 1991 he visited Prague and met his mother and friends. He died in
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1995/1996 Jiří Valenta (1936 - 1991): Collective Works / Gesamtwerk, Wallenstein Riding School, Prague, House of Arts, Ostrava, Museum Bochum
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Early in his career, he touched fleetingly on figuration in paintings that deliberately evoked raw primitive art or children's drawings (
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Věra
Linhartová, The White World of Jiří Valenta, in. Articles and studies from 1962 to 2002, Torst Prague 2010, ISBN 978-80-7215-392-3
138:. During his studies, he became close to his progressively oriented classmates, who, through two unofficial studio exhibitions called
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Jiří Valenta : Freiräume ; Malerei, Grafik, Fotografie, 2002, Alexander von Knorre, Birgit Poppe, Emschertal-Museum, Herne
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1967 Moderne Kunst aus Prag, Caroline-Mathilde-Räume im Celler Schloß, Celle, Wilhelm-Morgner-Haus, Soest, Kunsthalle zu Kiel, Kiel
245:, where he learned to make girdles. He exhibited in Toronto, Bochum and Sweden. In 1971, thanks to a one-year scholarship from the
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1991 Czeska sztuka 2. połowy XX wieku ze zbiorów
Galerii Sztuk Plastycznych w Ostrawie, Muzeum Górnośląskie w Bytomiu, Bytom
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Jiří Valenta: Fotografie / Fotografien, 1998, Hlaváčková Miroslava, cat. 30 p., Gallery of Modern Art in
Roudnice nad Labem
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without graduation. In 1953-1959 he studied with Prof. Miloslav Holý and Prof. Karel Souček. His classmates included
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Jiří Valenta: Paintings from 1959 to 1965, 1965, Šmejkal František, cat. 16 p., House of the Lords of Kunštát, Brno
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Valenta has ceased to label the following works from the 1970s with titles and only assigns them a sequence in the
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1987/1988 Berlin - Tendenz - abstrakt: Brenneisen, Fuchs-Heidelberg, Lehmann, Matsuo, Valenta, Kunsthaus, Nürnberg
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Jaroslav Šerých, Quatrième biennale de Paris, 207 p., Musée d'Art
Moderne de la Ville de Paris (ARC), Paris 1965
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synthetic resin. Pieces of textile pasted onto the canvas as rectangular and circular fields in the abstract
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102:(6 August 1936, Prague - 11 July 1991, Cologne) was a Czech painter, printmaker and photographer. After the
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Jiří Valenta: Anthropometric
Meditations, 2009, Koblasa Jan, Víchová Czakó Ilona, cat. 75 p., Galerie Brno
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Bohumír Mráz: Jiří Valenta, panel paintings and drawings 1962-1966, Výtvarná práce XIV, 1966, no. 14, p. 5
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Mahulena Nešlehová, Geometric
Meditations. Drawings and paintings by Jiří Valenta from 1971 to 1977, in.
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Mahulena Nešlehová et al., Czech Informel (Pioneers of Abstraction 1957–1964), 1991, Prague City Gallery
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Jiří Valenta: Works from 1967 - 1977, 2002, Primus Zdenek, cat. 4 p., Galerie Ztichlá klika, Prague
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Zdeněk Primus, Hommage à Jiří Valenta, KANT - Karel Kerlický, Prague 2010, ISBN 978-80-7437-015-1
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1968 Künstlergruppe arche mit 10 Malern aus Prag, Kunstkreis Hameln, Fritz-Henßler-Haus, Dortmund
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397:, during his stay in Dodau (October–November 1968), Valenta created a cycle of nine paintings,
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Zuzana Štěpanovičová: Jiří Valenta, Portrait of a Situation, 1965, Regional Gallery in Liberec
339:, 1961). To create a surface of relief, he mixed sand first into the paint and later into the
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testify to Valenta's "nostalgia for order" and his need to bring geometric elements to the
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1998 Jiří Valenta: Photographs / Fotografien, Gallery of Modern Art in Roudnice nad Labem
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320:), but the essence of his work is spiritual and grounded in theoretical considerations.
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Jaroslav Šerých: IV. biennale mladých v Paříži, Výtvarná práce XIII, 1965, no. 19, p. 8
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358:(1959) and later as colourful and luminously opalescent circular centres in the series
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2015 Jiří Valenta: Malíř fotografem, Interactive Gallery Becherova vila, Karlovy Vary
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2005 Argumenta z kolekcji Gerharda Jürgena Bluma-Kwiatkovskiego, Atlas Sztuki, Łódź
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1965 Jiří Valenta: Paintings from 1959 to 1965, House of the Lords of Kunštát, Brno
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Foundation, he worked in his North German home in Seebull. In 1972, he moved from
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he went first to Vienna and then to Germany. In 1969 he settled in Hof Dodau near
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1965 IV. Biennale de Paris, Musée d'Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris (ARC), Paris
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1972 Jiří Valenta: Bilder, Zeichnungen, Graphik, Galerie Die Goldschmiede, Bochum
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to the Czech environment in 1960 in a specific form. The group put together by
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1974 Tschechische Künstler, Galerie Ursula Wendtorf + Franz Swetec, Düsseldorf
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1968 Jiří Valenta: Malerei-Graphik-Objekte, Neue Universitätsbibliothek, Kiel
300:, 1959). Already during his studies he found a source of inspiration in the
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Jiří Valenta: Panel Paintings, 1966, Linhartová Věra, cat. 8 p., SČVU Praha
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1985 Schmerzende Wunde, Galerie Rafay, Kronberg im Taunus (Hochtaunuskreis)
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1970 Konstgruppen Grupp, Galleri 54, Göteborg, Alingsås konsthall, Alingsås
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1998 Jan Koblasa, Jiří Valenta, Botschaft der Tschechischen Republik, Bonn
241:, in the studio of the Berlin gallerist J. Kilian. From there he moved to
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1963 Jiří Valenta: Drawings 1959–1962, Club of Fine Artists, Mánes Prague
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2002 Jiří Valenta: Works from 1967 - 1977, Ztichlá klika Gallery, Prague
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1965 Cinque jeunes peintres d'Europe de l'est, Galerie Lambert, Paris
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Portrait of a Blind Young Man (1965-1966), National Gallery in Prague
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Jan Kříž: J. Valenta in Brno, Výtvarná práce XII, 1965, no. 16, p. 7
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1980 Die Kunst Osteuropas im 20. Jahrhundert, Garmisch-Partenkirchen
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1970 Guderna, Hovadík, Koblasa, Valenta, The Merton Gallery, Toronto
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1966 Jiří Valenta: Panel Paintings, Gallery of Youth, Mánes, Prague
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image that would overcome the randomness of structural confusion.
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182:, also with Boudník's participation, took place on 30 October in
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1970 Jiří Valenta, Jan Koblasa, Städtische Kunstgalerie Bochum
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Koblasa J, in: Primus Z, Hommage à Jiří Valenta, 2010, p. 72
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1996 Eine Promenade der Romantiker, Stadtmuseum Göhre, Jena
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2009 Jiří Valenta: Anthropometric Meditations, Galerie Brno
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Gallery of the Central Bohemian Region in Kutná Hora (GASK)
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valley, where they had taken trips together as students (
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1962 IV. Biennale des Jeunes, Musée d´Art moderne, Paris
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common to a whole generation of artists studying at the
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1969 Jiří Valenta, Jan Koblasa, bbk Galerie, Hannover
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Bust of Jiří Valenta by Jan Koblasa, Břevnov cemetery
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Valenta's school paintings are dominated by silvery
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1969 Jan Koblasa, Jiří Valenta, Schloß Celle, Celle
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2004 Jiří Valenta: Collages, Galerie Litera, Prague
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508:Votive Panel for St. Lala (1970), GASK Kutná Hora
722:1965 Małarstwo a rzeźba z Pragi, Kraków, Kraków
448:Structural Graphics II (1961), GASK Kutná Hora
675:1969 Jiří Valenta, Jan Koblasa, Schloss Celle
585:Jiří Valenta, Bild VI (1971), GASK Kutná Hora
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996:Jiří Valenta in the abART information system
624:Gallery of Modern Art in Roudnice nad Labem
472:Synthetic Tissue I (1964), GU Karlovy Vary
202:). He participated in IV. Biennial at the
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708:Collective exhibitions abroad (selection)
672:1969 Jiří Valenta, Galerie Matou, Hamburg
268:and is buried in the Břevnov Cemetery in
520:Votivtafel über heiligen Krapp II (1970)
360:Portraits of Slowly Increasing Processes
204:Musée d'Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris
110:. From 1972 until his death he lived in
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636:Gallery of Modern Art in Hradec Králové
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230:the reconstruction was never realized.
200:Cinque jeunes peintres dÉurope de l'Est
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228:Warsaw Pact invasion of Czechoslovakia
104:Warsaw Pact invasion of Czechoslovakia
35:Jiří Valenta, portrait by Karel Kuklík
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460:Study II (1963-1964), GASK Kutná Hora
406:Nine Attempts to Suspend Man in Space
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859:Jiří Valenta, Galerie Závodný, 1991
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370:until his emigration in 1968 (
124:Academy of Fine Arts in Prague
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549:Jiří Valenta, Bild III (1971)
380:Portrait of a Blind Young Man
186:'s studio in Prague, Žižkov.
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561:Jiří Valenta, Bild XI (1971)
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384:Portrait of the Annunciation
316:´s collages made of burlap (
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410:Votive Plaque for St. Krapp
372:Portrait of a Situation III
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896:Linhartová V, 1995, p. 304
600:, 1979) or rose blossoms (
414:Votive Plaque for St. Lala
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914:Primus A, 2010, pp. 59-60
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878:Primus A, 2010, pp. 53-58
869:Nešlehová M, 2006, p. 452
819:Primus A, 2010, pp. 14-15
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831:Nešlehová M, 1991, p. 26
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376:Portrait of a Black Egg,
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810:Primus A, 2010, p. 71
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534:
526:
524:
413:
409:
405:
404:, subtitled
398:
392:
390:, 1966–67).
387:
383:
379:
375:
371:
367:
363:
359:
355:
353:
344:
340:
337:Collage VIII
336:
328:
324:
322:
317:
297:
279:
263:
257:and then to
232:
199:
188:
179:
171:
170:. The first
160:Zdeněk Beran
139:
132:Milan Ressel
121:
100:Jiří Valenta
99:
98:
67:(1991-07-11)
65:11 July 1991
23:Jiří Valenta
1051:1991 deaths
1046:1936 births
647:Exhibitions
593:still lifes
282:still lifes
220:A. Kučerová
184:Aleš Veselý
156:Zbyšek Sion
152:Aleš Veselý
148:Jan Koblasa
1010:Categories
936:Catalogues
766:References
399:Homage to
395:emigration
286:landscapes
247:Emil Nolde
233:After the
47:1936-08-06
368:Portraits
310:A. Tàpies
216:K. Nepraš
212:A. Veselý
208:B. Dlouhý
150:included
80:Education
598:Buttocks
386:, 1966,
374:, 1965,
356:Triptych
349:informel
327:, 1959,
302:art brut
144:Informel
931:Sources
341:Acronex
333:Kokořín
312:or the
294:Academy
266:Cologne
259:Cologne
224:R. Fila
112:Cologne
108:Germany
73:Cologne
976:bound)
378:1965,
318:Sacchi
270:Prague
55:Prague
703:Praha
602:Roses
329:Venus
314:Burri
255:Brühl
239:Eutin
196:Paris
652:Solo
276:Work
251:Plön
243:Plön
166:and
134:and
118:Life
62:Died
41:Born
304:of
253:to
194:in
1012::
824:^
792:^
412:,
272:.
222:,
218:,
214:,
210:,
162:,
158:,
154:,
130:,
114:.
198:(
49:)
45:(
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