Cherchez la femme

More than a decade ago, Miroslav Lipina had a dream of owning his own art gallery. He was fascinated by the idea of women and the female form as the object of creative expression. Ten years later, his gallery, Galerie La Femme, continues to exhibit the best of Czech and international paintings and sculptures centered on this theme. Lipina not only runs the gallery, but he also inspires the local community of artists by assigning "homework," or creative tasks that the painters and sculptors complete to stretch their creative muscles, and the products of these exercises are displayed at the gallery. He knows that in order to facilitate creative expression, one must step outside one's everyday sphere of experience, and so Gallery La Femme organizes trips abroad for Czech artists to work and exhibit. The gallery celebrates its 10th anniversary this year. The Prague Post sat down with Lipina to find out what it takes to keep the dream alive and what he envisions for the future.

The Prague Post: Where did the idea come from to open an art gallery 10 years ago?

Miroslav Lipina: In 2000, when I got the offer to take over the Prager Kabinet Gallery, I had already been moving in the art world for 20 years. Owning my own gallery had always been my dream, but I knew that, beyond this dream, there is not only joy, but also a great amount of responsibility and work. One must be armed with a healthy dose of generosity, patience and optimism. Galerie La Femme is a very small and intimate space. It's a space that art collectors and art lovers like to visit. I like to present what I like and what I think is good. I want to give people a choice from the widest spectrum of contemporary art, but always with an eye for quality. At the moment, I have an exhibition of the work of Jan Koblasa, one of the leading representatives of Czech sculpture in the second half of the 20th century.

TPP: What fascinates you about the topic of women in art? Is it a common theme in Czech painting?

ML: What fascinates me about women is probably the same thing that fascinates most men and many women. I don't know how to describe it, but I have the feeling that a picture on which there is a figure that has a soul speaks to me. Of course, this is not to say that every picture of a woman is good. There are also many stunning images with no women at all. Though, I daresay, they are often the inspiration for the creation. Women have always been an inspiration for art, whether as the objects of unrequited love, or true love stories. Whether it's love, betrayal or hatred, all of these feelings are associated with love. These strong emotions were usually able to squeeze the very best out of the artists. It has always been so, and I think it will always be so. Today, however this fact is denied. Sometimes it is sad what passes for art today. Craftsmanship and aesthetics are not important. But, in this area, I'm probably quite conservative. I like art that you can hang up at home and look at all the time. To me, that is the value of art: that it is permanent, not a temporary installation.

TPP: What can you tell us about your current exhibition?

ML: As I mentioned, I would like to invite your readers to an intimate exhibition of drawings and prints by Jan Koblasa. These are works that have never been part of an exhibition before.  Koblasa lives in Hamburg and is one of the most respected sculptors around today. The exhibition will also feature smaller sculptures from the series La Traviata.

TPP: What exactly is your concept of assigning "homework?"

ML: This idea was born in 2002, when it occurred to me to ask a few of my close painter friends to paint a sort of paraphrase on one of my favorite photographs, which was taken by my brother Jan in the '70s. My friends did quite an honest job of it, and others were interested in seeing it, so I thought of making an exhibition out of it. So that was the first exhibition of "homework." It was called Tribute to a Photograph. Since then, more than 60 artists have participated in different "assignments." We do it twice a year, with topics such as "Breakfast in the Grass," and "Little Tribute to the Great Mona Lisa."

TPP: Could you describe some of your international projects, like your trip to Ecuador?

ML: In 2003, we received our first invitation to Brazil. Our month-long stay culminated in exhibitions in the capital, Brasilia, and in Rio de Janeiro. In 2004, we went to Montreal and Sutton, where we also held exhibitions. Another tour followed in 2006 and 2007 in the French Languedoc region, where we created works of art with singer Patrick Thomas. In 2008, we went to Andalusia. This trip inspired Tomáš Hřivnáč to create his "Flamenco" prints with which the following year he won first prize at the Josep de Ribera Xátiva X International Biennial in Spain. This spring, we did a project in Ecuador, where we held several exhibitions in the capital, Quito. As a gift to ourselves for our 10th anniversary, we made a trip to the Galapagos Islands, which was also great for artistic inspiration. In September, you will be able to see the results the artists' work from Ecuador at Galerie La Femme.

TPP: What major changes has the gallery seen in the past 10 years, and what are your plans for the future?

ML: First of all, in these 10 years, we have expanded the database of artists whose work we offer. This includes famous names as well as new, promising talent. As a result of our projects abroad, we know the world and the world knows Galerie La Femme, a tiny gallery in the heart of Europe. We are especially known by the great Czech artists now. I don't want to sound too self laudatory, but since we're celebrating our anniversary this year, perhaps it's alright. A thousand paintings and sculptures have come into being because of our gallery, as part of the "homework" as well as the international projects. We've also done our fair share of charity work, and I would say we've really raised the bar for real art collectors. We opened a new branch in Horka u Staré Paky, which is slowly but surely becoming known - and not only by the locals. In the future, we would like to help people realize the advantages of investing in art, by either expanding our collection or providing better exhibitions. If it could be done, we'd also like to make our space at Bílkova 2 larger. But, even if everything remains as it is, we're grateful for it. Improvement is always important - we're not resting on our laurels - but, of course, we can appreciate what we already have.

Emily Thompson can be reached at
ethompson@praguepost.com