František Kupka was a Czech painter, printmaker and illustrator who was born in 1871 in Opočno and spent a large part of his life in France, where he is also buried.[1][2] He studied in Prague and Vienna and in 1896 moved to Paris.[1] Together with Wassily Kandinsky and Kazimir Malevich he is counted among the pioneers of abstract art.[1]
His work was influenced by an interest in the relationship between colour and form, spiritual currents and the scientific and technological knowledge of his day. He called himself a “colour symphonist”.[1] Besides painting he worked in printmaking and illustration, was a legionnaire and a mystic. His relationship to music led him to the movement called Orphism.[2]
Works in Czech collections
A significant collection of Kupka's works is held by Museum Kampa in Prague, which was founded by Meda Mládková, who was in personal contact with the painter. The collection contains about two hundred works, among them the painting “Amorfa – Teplá chromatika”, which Kupka exhibited at the Paris Salon in 1912.[1][2] A group of Kupka's works is also owned by National Gallery Prague. Its basis is a purchase made by the Czechoslovak state in 1946 and the purchase of the Waldes collection.[2]
Auction prices
The world record to date was held by the painting “Tryskání II” from 1922 to 1923, auctioned in London in 2021 for 8.81 million euros. The auction record in Czechia was held by the work “Početí”, which was sold in April 2024 at the auction house Adolf Loos Apartment and Gallery for 126.5 million crowns including commission.[1][2] On 26 October 2026 the painting “Nepopisný prostor” was auctioned for an amount that, according to Novinky.cz, surpassed the previous world record for the artist; the auction catalogue gave an estimate of six to eight million euros.[2]
Chronology
- — František Kupka's painting Nepopisný prostor (Indescribable Space) sold at auction for 217 million crowns, a new record for the painter. → iDNES.cz Novinky.cz
Sources
- iDNES.cz — 26 October 2026
- Novinky.cz — 26 October 2026