Jan KŘÍŽEK (1919–1985) was a Czech-born artist whose approach to sculpture and drawing set him apart in the post-war European art scene. Initially trained at the Academy of Fine Arts in Prague, he abandoned academic conventions upon moving to Paris in 1948. Closely connected to the philosophy of Art Brut—embracing works created outside traditional academic or cultural norms, often by self-taught artists—Křížek adopted a raw and instinctive method of creation. He worked with found materials such as stones and discarded objects, crafting sculptures that embodied a primal quality. Deeply influenced by archaic and prehistoric art, he sought to capture an elemental purity in his forms.
Despite his originality, Křížek’s artistic career was brief. In 1962, after more than a decade of prolific work and exhibition across Europe, he withdrew from the art world entirely, moving to the French countryside and ceasing all artistic production. Before this retreat, he experimented with a wide range of mediums and techniques, drawing inspiration from graffiti and children’s drawings, garnering the support of influential figures Michel Tapié, Charles Estienne, and André Breton.
Although Křížek destroyed much of his work before his death, his artistic legacy continues to grow. His surviving pieces are recognized for their singular approach to material and form, bridging the gap between modernist experimentation and an almost prehistoric sense of creation. In 2012, the National Gallery in Prague held a retrospective, reaffirming his significance in European art history and bringing renewed attention to his unconventional vision. Today, his work remains a compelling example of how art can exist outside of formal traditions, embodying a raw, untamed energy that continues to inspire contemporary artists exploring materiality and form.
