Emil Filla, pioneer of Cubism, born 140 years ago
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Loading... - Josef Horacek
- 04 Apr 2022
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Painter Emil Filla (1882–1953) is one of the most popular artists sought by Czech art collectors. The 15 most expensive Czech paintings include several of his works and their value continues to grow.
The most expensive painting by Filla is The Painter, with a sale value of CZK 17.5 million. Collectors paid only slightly less for Still Life with a Bottle of Cherry (16.25 million) and Head of a Man in a Top Hat for 16 million.
World Painter from a small Czech town
Emil Filla was born on April 4, 1882 in the small town of ChropynÄ› in South Moravia and grew up in Brno. From 1903 he studied at the Academy of Fine Arts in Prague. However, he left the school after three years because of the conventional teaching methods and, together with several of his classmates, decided to seek his own path.
During the first period of his artistic career he was influenced mainly by the work of the painter Edvard Munch. He also sought inspiration from Vincent van Gogh and Pierre Bonnard.
From 1907 to 1908 he exhibited his expressionist works as a member of the Osma group. Paintings from this period include The Reader by Dostoyevsky and The Chess Players.
Later, when Filla noticed the growing importance of Cubism, he was influenced by its founders Georges Braque and, of course, Pablo Picasso. At that time he painted mainly still lives. Read More...
