Tomáš Pospiszyl

Tomáš Pospiszyl (1967) is an art historian, educator, writer, and curator based in Prague. Since 2016 he has been chair of the Department of Art Theory and History at the Academy of Fine Arts in Prague. Tomáš Pospiszyl’s projects range from early modernism, avant-garde, and neo-avant-garde to contemporary art. His publications in English include the anthology Primary Documents: A Sourcebook for Eastern and Central European Art since the 1950s, which he edited with Laura Hoptman (MIT Press, MoMA, 2002), and a selection of his essays An Associative Art History: Comparative Studies of Neo-Avant-Gardes in a Bipolar World (JRP Ringier & Les Presses du Réel, Zurich 2017). His current research focuses on official art in post-war Czechoslovakia and the work of the critic Jindřich Chalupecký. (2024)

Tomáš Pospiszyl worked as a curator at the National Gallery in Prague (1997-2002) and since 2003 at the Centre for Audiovisual Studies at FAMU. He was a member of the editorial board of the magazine Umelec and was associated with the tranzit.cz initiative since its foundation.

Publications

Books

• editor, Před obrazem. Antologie americké výtvarné teorie a kritiky, trans. Tomáš Pospiszyl, OSVU, 1998, 189 pp. (Czech)

• editor, with Laura Hoptman, Primary Documents: A Sourcebook for Eastern and Central European Art Since the 1950s, New York: Museum of Modern Art, 2002, 375 pp. (English)

• with Petr Babák, Octobriana a ruský underground. Neuvěřitelný příběh Petra Sadeckého, Prague: Labyrint, 2004, 280 pp. [1] (Czech)

• with Vanda Skálová, Alén Diviš, Prague: Nadace Karla Svolinského a Věry Kubátové, 2005, 252 pp. (Czech)

• Srovnávací studie, Prague: Fra, 2005, 180 pp. (Czech)

• Josef Bolf: velká černá kniha / Big Black Book, Prague: Divus, 2009, 120 pp. [2] (Czech)/(English)

• David Černý - Promrdané roky III / The Fucking Years III, Prague: Respekt, 2009, 120 pp. (Czech)/(English)

• editor, with Ivan Adamovič, Planeta Eden. Svět zítřka v socialistickém Československu 1948-1978, Prague: Arbor vitae, 2010, 248 pp. Publisher. Review: Franc (Soudobé dějiny). (Czech)

• Vladislav Mirvald, Prague: Arbor vitae, 2010, 160 pp. [3] (Czech)

• Jan Pištěk. Živly / Elements, Prague: Arbor vitae, 2011, 88 pp. (Czech)

• editor, with Eric Rosenzveig, CAS: Co to je? / What is it?, Prague: NAMU, 2013, 326 pp. (Czech)/(English)

• Asociativní dějepis umění: poválečné umění napříč generacemi a médii. Koláž, intermediální a konceptuální umění, performance a film, Prague: tranzit.cz, 2014, 208 pp. Publisher. Book launch. (Czech)
  • An Associative Art History: Comparative Studies of Neo-Avant-Gardes in a Bipolar World, trans. Ivan Gutierrez, Prague: tranzit.cz, and Zurich: JRP/Ringier, 2017, 293 pp. TOC. Review: Arnoux (Critique d'art, FR). Publisher. (English)

• David Černý, Prague: BiggBoss, 2017, 336 pp. (Czech)

• editor, Vladimír Ambroz. Akce / Actions, Prague: BiggBoss, 2017, 227 pp. Publisher. (Czech)/(English)

• Posledních padesát let, Hradec Králové: Galerie moderního umění v Hradci Králové, 2020, 107 pp. Exhibition. Publisher. (Czech)

• Rotrekl, Prague: Kunsthalle Praha, 2022, 336 pp. Publisher. (Czech)

• with Veronika Čechová, Příběh Jindřicha Chalupeckého, Prague: Společnost Jindřicha Chalupeckého, 2022, 95 pp. (Czech)

• editor, Jindřich Chalupecký. Texty a kontexty kritika umění, Prague: Akademie výtvarných umění, 2023, 396 pp. Review: Rampley (Centre of modern art & theory Brno). [4] (Czech)

• with Zuzana Jakalová, Eva Kmentová, Brno: Host, 2023, 168 pp. Publisher. (Czech)

Essays

• "Radši bych byl andělem", Artlist, n.d. Written for the exhibition of Jiří Kovanda, Radši bych byl andělem, Josef Sudek Studio, 6 Dec 2006—14 Jan 2007. (Czech)
• "Konec umění", A2 23, Prague, 2007. (Czech)
• "Trojí reflexe Jána Mančušky", Cinepur 52, Jul 2007. (Czech)
• "Look Who’s Watching: Photographic Documentation of Happenings and Performances in Czechoslovakia", in 1968-1989: Political Upheaval and Artistic Change, eds. Claire Bishop and Marta Dziewańska, Warsaw: Museum of Modern Art, 2009, pp 74-87. Proceedings from the 2008 conference. (English)
• "Záhada Emila Filly", Artlist, n.d. Delivered at a conference to accompany the exhibition Roky ve dnech, City Gallery, Sep 2010. (Czech)
• "Artist Run Initiatives (ARI) - cechy ogólne i analiza wybranych przykładów historycznych w Czechosłowacji i Republice Czeskiej" [Artist Run Initiatives (ARI) - the General Features and the Analysis of Selected Historical Examples in Czechoslovakia and the Czech Republic], Sztuka i Dokumentacja 7, Łódź, 2012, pp 38-43. (Polish)
• "Výtvarníci", in Vladimír 518, et al., Kmeny 0, Prague: Bigg Boss, 2013. [5] (Czech)
• "Umění z druhé ruky", in Dokumentace umění, eds. Jan Krtička and Jan Prošek, Ústí nad Labem: Univerzita J. E. Purkyně, 2013, pp 9-15. (Czech)
• "Etude", Manifesta Journal 13, 2013. (English)
• "Milan Knížák and Ken Friedman: Keeping Together Manifestations in a Divided World", post, New York: MoMA, 1 Sep 2015. (English)
• "Filmová montáž a princip montáže v nefilmových oborech. Případová studie: rané koláže Jiřího Koláře", Sešit pro umění, teorii a příbuzné zóny 22, Prague, 2017, pp 42-61. (Czech)
• "Artists in the Service of the Public", Third Text 153: "Actually Existing Artworlds of Socialism", Jul 2018, pp 379-391. (English)

• "Rok 1968 ve výtvarném umění", Artalk.cz, 13 Aug 2018. (Czech)
  • "The Year 1968 in Fine Arts", Blok, 16 Sep 2018. (English)

• "Reading Performances: Literary Aspects of Conceptual and Performance Art in Eastern Europe", in Doing Performance Art History. Perspectives of Actors and Observers, eds. Sandra Frimmel, et al., Apparatus, 2020. (English)

• "Odkud kráč Nočni chodci. K interpretaci malířského cyklu Františka Hudečka", Umění/Art 71:1, 2023, pp 40-49. (Czech)}

Further texts in A2, Artalk.

Links

• Profile on Academy of Fine Arts, Prague
• Profile on Artlist
• Profile on AbArt
• Wikipedia-CS