Jindřich Štyrský
Czech Republic (1899—1942)After studying at the Prague Academy of Arts, Štyrský began his career as a painter and became involved with the Devětsil movement, initially developing a style influenced by Cubism. In 1925 he moved to Paris with Toyen, and the two soon developed Artificialism, a new approach that sought to combine elements of abstraction and Surrealism. Back in Prague, Štyrský became involved with the Liberated Theatre, designing its stage sets and contributing to the avant-garde cultural scene around it. He joined the SVU Mánes Association of Fine Artists in 1932 and, two years later, co-founded the Surrealist Group of Czechoslovakia. He returned to Paris in 1935, but his health deteriorated towards the end of the decade, and he died of pneumonia in Prague in 1942.
