The Accordionist

The Accordionist represents an exceptionally rare early sculpture by Olbram Zoubek, created when he was just seventeen years old during his studies at the Žižkov secondary school. From the sixth year of his studies, Zoubek attended optional modelling classes with Professor Miroslav Kužel, under whose guidance he prepared for the entrance examinations to the Academy of Fine Arts in Prague. It was during this formative period that The Accordionist was created, bearing witness to Zoubek’s evident talent and his early interest in figurative sculpture. In 1945, he went on to study at the UMPRUM in Prague, where he was a student of Josef Wagner. The work is accompanied by the artist’s correspondence, in which he describes the circumstances surrounding its creation. Enclosed is the artist’s 2015 New Year’s card in the form of a gilded paper relief. 

Cast by the artist in 2013 after the original plaster model from 1943. The work was assessed by the Kmentová Zoubek Foundation and PhDr. P. Bregantová, the artist's daughter, whose certificate of authenticity is attached.