Anna Fárová
Encyclopedia
Anna Fárová was a Czech
art historian who specialized and catalogued Czech and Czechoslovakia
n photographers, including Frantisek Drtikol
and Josef Sudek
. She was one of the pioneers of writing on history of photography. Her publishing activities helped to establish photography as an art discipline within the country.
professor, Anne Moussu. She spent a part of her early childhood in Paris, the family moved to Plzeň, Czechoslovakia
only in the middle of the 1930s. Following her studies at the French
gymnasium
in Prague she continued studying art history and aesthetics
at the Faculty of Arts of the Charles University in Prague
. In 1952, she married Czech artist Libor Fára
. In 1956, her father arranged a meeting with photographer Henri Cartier-Bresson
. The meeting heavily influenced her career. She began working with Cartier-Bresson's Magnum Photos
agency and published a series of monographs in the Czech publishing house Odeon.
She held a number of photo exhibitions across Prague
. However, the Communist era Czechoslovakian government banned Fárová from working in the country after she became a signatory of the Charter 77
manifesto
in the 1970s. Much of her work was published outside of Czechoslovakia
during the 1980s, before the Velvet Revolution
and fall of communism
.
Anna Fárová died of a "serious illness" on February 27, 2010, at the age of 81.
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Poland to the northeast, Slovakia to the east, Austria to the south, and Germany to the west and northwest....
art historian who specialized and catalogued Czech and Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia or Czecho-Slovakia was a sovereign state in Central Europe which existed from October 1918, when it declared its independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, until 1992...
n photographers, including Frantisek Drtikol
František Drtikol
František Drtikol was a Czech photographer of international renown. He is especially known for his characteristically epic photographs, often nudes and portraits.- Life and work :...
and Josef Sudek
Josef Sudek
Josef Sudek was a Czech photographer, best known for his photographs of Prague.Originally a bookbinder. During The First World War he was drafted into Austro-Hungarian Army. In 1915 and served on the Italian Front until he was wounded in the right arm in 1916...
. She was one of the pioneers of writing on history of photography. Her publishing activities helped to establish photography as an art discipline within the country.
Biography
Fárová was born in 1928 in Paris, France, to a Czech diplomat, Miloš Šafránek, and a FrenchFrance
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
professor, Anne Moussu. She spent a part of her early childhood in Paris, the family moved to Plzeň, Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovak Republic (1918–1938)
The First Czechoslovak Republic , refers to the first Czechoslovak state that existed from 1918 to 1938. The state was commonly called Czechoslovakia . It was composed of Bohemia, Moravia, Czech Silesia, Slovakia and Subcarpathian Ruthenia...
only in the middle of the 1930s. Following her studies at the French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
gymnasium
Gymnasium (school)
A gymnasium is a type of school providing secondary education in some parts of Europe, comparable to English grammar schools or sixth form colleges and U.S. college preparatory high schools. The word γυμνάσιον was used in Ancient Greece, meaning a locality for both physical and intellectual...
in Prague she continued studying art history and aesthetics
Aesthetics
Aesthetics is a branch of philosophy dealing with the nature of beauty, art, and taste, and with the creation and appreciation of beauty. It is more scientifically defined as the study of sensory or sensori-emotional values, sometimes called judgments of sentiment and taste...
at the Faculty of Arts of the Charles University in Prague
Charles University in Prague
Charles University in Prague is the oldest and largest university in the Czech Republic. Founded in 1348, it was the first university in Central Europe and is also considered the earliest German university...
. In 1952, she married Czech artist Libor Fára
Libor Fára
Libor Fára was a Czech sculptor and painter.- Biography :The versatile Libor Fára graduated from the Academy of Applied Arts in Prague in the studio of Emil Filla in the second half of the 1940s, developing his artistic opinion in the circle of the Prague Surrealists.The main fields of Fára’s...
. In 1956, her father arranged a meeting with photographer Henri Cartier-Bresson
Henri Cartier-Bresson
Henri Cartier-Bresson was a French photographer considered to be the father of modern photojournalism. He was an early adopter of 35 mm format, and the master of candid photography...
. The meeting heavily influenced her career. She began working with Cartier-Bresson's Magnum Photos
Magnum Photos
Magnum Photos is an international photographic cooperative owned by its photographer-members, with offices located in New York, Paris, London and Tokyo...
agency and published a series of monographs in the Czech publishing house Odeon.
She held a number of photo exhibitions across Prague
Prague
Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...
. However, the Communist era Czechoslovakian government banned Fárová from working in the country after she became a signatory of the Charter 77
Charter 77
Charter 77 was an informal civic initiative in communist Czechoslovakia from 1976 to 1992, named after the document Charter 77 from January 1977. Founding members and architects were Václav Havel, Jan Patočka, Zdeněk Mlynář, Jiří Hájek, and Pavel Kohout. Spreading the text of the document was...
manifesto
Manifesto
A manifesto is a public declaration of principles and intentions, often political in nature. Manifestos relating to religious belief are generally referred to as creeds. Manifestos may also be life stance-related.-Etymology:...
in the 1970s. Much of her work was published outside of Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia or Czecho-Slovakia was a sovereign state in Central Europe which existed from October 1918, when it declared its independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, until 1992...
during the 1980s, before the Velvet Revolution
Velvet Revolution
The Velvet Revolution or Gentle Revolution was a non-violent revolution in Czechoslovakia that took place from November 17 – December 29, 1989...
and fall of communism
Communism
Communism is a social, political and economic ideology that aims at the establishment of a classless, moneyless, revolutionary and stateless socialist society structured upon common ownership of the means of production...
.
Anna Fárová died of a "serious illness" on February 27, 2010, at the age of 81.