Jakub Špaňhel
* 1976
Jakub Špaňhel is one of the outstanding representatives of contemporary Czech painting. Soon after graduation he confirmed his reputation as an extraordinary talent, which was on display during his studies at the academy in Prague, at several solo exhibitions (City Gallery Prague and the National Gallery in Prague), and at the majority of important group painting shows highlighting his generation (Perfect Tense in the Jízdárna at Prague Castle, permanent exhibition in Wannieck Gallery, etc.). His existing work can be divided into two distinct groups, interlinked through common features such as a tendency to the use of monochrome and the reduction of shapes and forms, and a primary emphasis on the painterly quality. The paintings of the first group are based on the depiction of a particular motif in Špaňhel’s typical gestural style. Apart from the well-known church interiors, there are series of nudes, bouquets, landscapes, portraits and more recently petrol stations and the buildings of central banks in different countries. In all of these cases, Špaňhel presents traditional genres, some of them – nudes, bouquets and church interiors – have not appeared in the iconography of Czech art for decades. The second group of works has a minimalist and serial character, consisting of the mechanical repetition of simple elements using a paint roller with the motifs of “pots”, crosses, beer glasses and sail boats.
Solo Exhibitions (selection)
2012 New Paintings, Dea Orh Gallery, Prague 2012 Slepice v pekle, City Gallery Prague, Prague
2012 Had na sněhu, Havelka Gallery, Prague
2011 Jakub Špaňhel, Caesar Gallery, Olomouc, Czech Republic
2011 Jakub Špaňhel, Gallery of Fine Arts in Ostrava, Ostrava, Czech Republic
2011 BLONDÍNKY & LONDÝNKY, Kressling Gallery, Bratislava
2010 Rolled Goats, Woxart Gallery, Prague
2010 Flowers, Goats and Banks, Dea Orh Gallery, Prague
2009 Jakub Špaňhel, Dole Gallery, Ostrava
2010 Jakub Špaňhel, City Gallery, Blansko
2007 9 paintings, WoxArt, Prague, U Bílého jednorožce Gallery, Klatovy
2006 Smell of roses and petrol, Ad Astra Gallery, Kuřim
2007 286 beers, Na bidýlku Gallery, Brno
2005 We gonna meet at Cemetery, Felix Jenewein Gallery, Kutná Hora
2003 26 years, City Gallery Prague, Old town Hall, Prague
Group Exhibitions (selection)
2011 Ein Tanz, (HangART – 7 Edition 18 Tschechien, Hangar – 7, Salzburg, Austria
2011 Czech Painting The 90’s Generation, House of Art in Brno, Brno, Czech Republic
2010 Memory of Karel Tutsch, Vltavin Gallery, Prague
2009 Five, Dea Orh Art Gallery, Prague
2009 After Velvet, City Gallery of Prague, Prague Confiscated, City Museum, Wroclav-Arsenal, Poland
2009 Keep Dark, Dvorak Sec Contemporary, Prague
2008 Contemporary Young Painting, Wannieck Gallery, Brno
2008 Ostrava Art, City Museum, Ostrava
2008 Jakub Špaňhel, Senzor Gallery, Prague
2007 Contemporary Czech Art, Zuraba Zereteli Gallery, Moscow
2007 Amaro Jilo / Our heart, City Gallery, Brno
2007 Typical painting, Nová síň Gallery, Prague
2006 Months, Litography and silcscreen 1995-2006, Kabinet Gallery, Brno
2006 Amor vincit omnia, Saarländischen Gallery, Berlin
2006 Přibližovadla, ArtPro - Gallery of Czech Sculpture, Prague
2005 IBCA International biennale of contemporary art in Prague, National Gallery in Prague
2005 Floralia, between idylic and halucination, ArtPro - Gallery of Czech Sculpture, Prague
2005 Jakub Špaňhel, Jonáš Czesaný, National Gallery in Prague, Prague
Collections
National Gallery in Prague, Prague
Vychodoceska Gallery, Pardubice, Czech Republic Klatovy Gallery, Klenova, Czech Republic
Felix Jenewein Gallery, Kutna Hora, Czech Republic Wannieck Gallery, Brno, Czech Republic
Private collectors worldwide
Art Fairs
2013 Arte Genova, Italy
2012 Art International Zurich, Switzerland 2012 Swab Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain 2011 Arte Fiera Bologna, Bologna, Italy
2012 Art Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands 2010 Art Dubai, Dubai, United Arab Emirates
2012 Art Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands Art London, London, UK
2012 st-art, Strasbourg, France
The Czech and English-language monograph with a knowledgeable text by Jiří Olič captures Špaňhel’s life and work.