Portrait of Václav Havel

World-renowned sculptor Patrik Proško created this artwork as part of his partnership with the IAM Illusion Art Museum Prague. It has been loaned to Prague Airport free of charge. Creating an anamorphic portrait is one of the most challenging sculpting techniques and consists of several stages. First, the life and legacy of the sitter must be thoroughly studied so that the artist can gather thousands of objects that will tell the story of the personality. In total, over 3,000 authentic and historical objects and documents were used for the portrait of Václav Havel.

The basic principle of the installation is that it is literally based on authentic documents and photographs from the 1960s to the 1990s. The left rear part of the installation accentuates the communist period and the persecution of Václav Havel together with his imprisonment, and the right rear part focuses on the revolutionary part of his life. From the frontal view you can see the declaration of Charter 77.

The portrait of Václav Havel consists of objects referring to his life. A selection of typewriters, various writing instruments and also many books introduce Václav Havel as a writer and playwright. He was a passionate cook, so there are also two cookbooks from the Václav Havel Library. Another of his passions were cars, of which he owned many during his lifetime. These are also presented here in models. Of course, there is music in the portrait. Frank Zappa, whose music he loved, is here, as are the Plastic People of the Universe, Karel Kryl and the Rolling Stones.

The portrait undoubtedly succeeds in capturing the humanity and kindness of Václav Havel. Due to the materials used, the installation is very fragile and could easily be destroyed, just like the legacy of Václav Havel and the democracy he left us. They need to be cared for and protected. The installation at the Václav Havel Airport has a symbolic character, especially in these challenging times, and serves as a message to the whole world about the values our society stands for.