Lot #52: Framed Linocut Pencil Signed Eminent Czech Artist Signed Josef Capek 1930s

Frame 10.25" x 8.25" https://www.youtube.com/watch?vz93I7HfPtlQ Josef Čapek (1887–1945) was a prominent Czech avant-garde artist. A master of Cubism, Expressionism, and minimalist styles, he was also a prolific writer, poet, and cartoonist. Remarkably, he is the true inventor of the word "robot," which he suggested for his brother Karel’s iconic science fiction play, R.U.R.. Early in his career, he embraced French Cubism before developing his own unique, playful, and emotionally resonant style characterized by bold outlines and expressive figures. He wrote and charmingly illustrated beloved Czech classics, such as Povídání o Pejskovi a Kočičce (The Adventures of Puss and Pup. Čapek frequently drew for Lidové Noviny (a Prague newspaper), utilizing his art to actively critique totalitarianism and Adolf hitler. Because of his outspoken anti-nazi journalism and satirical cartoons, the Gestapo arrested Čapek following the 1939 German invasion of Czechoslovakia. He was imprisoned in several concentration camps, including Dachau and Buchenwald, before ultimately dying in Bergen-Belsen in April 1945, just weeks before the war ended. Before his death, he composed and hid Poems from a Concentration Camp, which were fortunately preserved by his fellow inmates. Today, his artwork is highly sought after; paintings like his 1939 work Desire fetch millions of Czech korunas at high-end auctions Dimensions: Frame 10.25" x 8.25" Pickup category timeslot {A}