Boudník Vladimír 1924–1968

Head, 1968

monotype, paper, mount, frame, glass, 21,5 × 33,3 cm, signed in pencil at the bottom centre by Vladimír Boudník 68.
Vladimír Boudník is one of the unique solitaires of Czech post-war art. His experimental approach to the creative process and his emphasis on on the physical act of creation itself, which were applied in the new graphic techniques of the 1950s, such as active, structural or magnetic printmaking, brought entirely new principles to art. From the late 1940s onwards, Boudník's manifestoes of explosionism and his actions in the streets of Prague clearly set himself apart from the context of contemporary artistic creation. Extreme personal sensitivity and a physical, almost corporeal approach to the act of creation led him to experiment with materials and techniques that that went beyond the framework in which the visual arts of the time were understood. They anticipated the future development of Czech informel and action art, and connected to international parallels that Boudník was not aware of at the time.