“… He is one of the few, if not the only one, of those Czech photographers who can not only make friends and get close to people but can also understand and share the human condition with virtually anyone, anywhere, at any time. It is a gift from God that he is not perceived as a photographer, but quite naturally as a friend. ”
Jaroslav Kučera has for many years been one of the leading Czech photographers. He achieved mastery particularly in social photography, which was his special talent from the very beginning of his professional career. Many of his images have gained general awareness from not only professionals, but also from the general public.
He gained a grant from the Mayor of Prague during the inaugural year of the Czech Press Photo Competition in 1995 and in 2000 he was awarded the Main Prize in this prestigious Czech Journalism competition. A year later he arrived on the European scene by being the winner at the Fujifilm Euro Press Photo Awards competition in Copenhagen.
“The streets, the people , the environment on the very edge of society, people who are out of work and with an obscure future. It is as if the people within this harsh and complex environment attract him, by the strange magic of their fortunes, which differ from the common average. And he lived through these exciting adventures . Not out of hunger for sensation, but for his subconscious conviviality with them.”
Kučera was born in 1946 in the small village of Ředhošť in Litoměřice County. From 1962 to 1966 he studied at the construction college in Mělník and later in Prague at the Czech Technical University.
Here, in 1973, he graduated as a civil engineer. Since then he has been a professional freelance photographer.
”Among Czech photographers, Kučera alone can keep a finger on the hands of time of changes at home.
Mainly his permanently developed themes of the Sudetenland and Prague all features what is happening of interest in our country. He is from many points of view, whether we like it or not, number one in the Czech photography of life. ”
With the use of text by art historian PhDr. Daniela Mrázková
A retrospective of the photographer Jaroslav Kučera
From April 26th to August 18th, 2013
Theresian Wing of the Old Royal Palace at Prague Castle
Pražský hrad
119 08 Prague
Czech Republic
Open daily from 10 am to 6 pm
Tel.: +42-224 372 306
