Michal Vitanovský

Michal Vitanovský (born 3 May 1946) is Czech medal artist and sculptor. He is the author of expert articles and books on medal art, numismatics, heraldry and history of decorative stove tiles.

Life Vitanovský was born on 3 May 1946 in Klatovy. He comes from a family of a soldier in the Czechoslovak Army. His father was resistance fighter during World War II and a high school teacher, later an army officer who was forced into early retirement at the start of normalization. Michal lived with his family successively in Mikulov, Brno, Prague, Trenčín, and finally in Prague. In his youth, he read the works of Gustav Meyrink, Lautréamont, and Jarry; during his teenage years, he discovered rock and roll and the Beatles. When he initially failed the entrance exams for art school, he completed the optional ninth grade and attended art courses at the People's School for a year.

From 1961 to 1965, he attended the Secondary School of Fine Arts in Prague. A profound influence on him had his art teacher Professor Viktorin, who required students to tackle a new subject each week. After graduating, he studied from 1965 to 1971 at the Academy of Arts, Architecture and Design in Prague in the studio of Jan Kavan, majoring in applied sculpture. During his studies, he took evening courses in figure drawing and visited exhibitions of leading artists of the Czech modernist movement of the 1960s. He also had the opportunity to get acquainted with the works of European sculptors Lipchitz, Moore, Calder, Arp, and Picasso. In 1976, together with other Czech artists (Demartini, Nešleha, Hendrych, Kolíbal, Dlouhý, Karel, Roubíček, and others), he participated in a major commission by the Art Center for the Marble Palace of the Pahlavi dynasty in Tehran.

Since 1984, he has been publishing expert articles focusing on medal art, coins, medieval tiles, and heraldry. In 1989, he was a member of the action committee of the Civic Forum at Mánes. Since 1990, he has been a member of the Association of Medal Artists (elected chairman at the founding meeting in 1990), and since 1992, a member of the Umělecká beseda (chairman of the fine arts department in 1993). In the 1990s, he contributed to the magazine The Medal published in London, edited the Information Bulletin of the Medal Artists' Association, and contributed to the Umělecká beseda bulletin Život (Life) (2004–2007). He was a member of the informal association ‘'Lipany’' (1991–1992). The group organizes regular meetings and art symposia.

Vitanovský lives and works in Prague and in Pyšely. He is one of the leading Czech medal artists. To mark his 60th birthday, two retrospective exhibitions of his sculptures and medals were held in 2006 at the Senate of the Czech Republic and at Strahov Monastery. Abroad, he has been represented at exhibitions organized by FIDEM ("Fédération internationale de la médaille d'art") since 1975 (Lisbon, Florence, Stockholm, Colorado Springs, Helsinki, London, Budapest, The Hague, etc.) His original work is often non-figurative and draws on other 20th-century art movements.

At the Academy of Arts, Architecture and Design in Prague he experimented with all kinds of sculptural materials, from wood, metals, ceramics, and stone to plastics. It was during this period that he created his small bronze sculptures, which, with their monumental forms, resemble studies for larger works. Toward the end of his studies and shortly after graduation, he focused on white-glazed ceramics, highlighting the details of his modeling with blue glaze. He created a series of sculptures inspired by the female figure, along with numerous variations on "Idols," rendered in the style of synthetic cubism (Motherhood, 1973). For the Marble Palace in Tehran, he created ten bronze reliefs depicting administrative reforms in government ministries. He draws on his knowledge of history and sets his portraits within characteristic period features. He makes use of the tension between the smooth surface of a modeled form and sharp contour lines, as well as the contrast between geometric and richly textured structures enhanced by light. A medal bearing the portrait of Karel Engliš became part of the insignia of the Faculty of Economics and Public Administration at Masaryk University. In the 1990s, medals featuring portraits of Jan Masaryk (1994) and Jan Palach were minted. The reverse side of the Palach medal, which is awarded to students of the Faculty of Arts at Charles University, features the university's historical coat of arms. He also designed a gold commemorative medal and a seal for Charles University.

Jewish themes in his work are represented by medals of Isaac Babel, Franz Kafka, and Salomon Hugo Lieben, director of the Jewish Museum in Prague (1996), a commemorative medal marking the anniversary of the deportation of Jews from Cologne, and a medal commemorating the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Jewish Museum in Prague (2006). He designed insignia and mayoral chains for the towns of Kolín, Kouřim, and Volary, insignia and faculty scepers for many universities, and several versions of the Coat of arms of the Czech Republic for various institutions. Since 2022, he has also been writing fiction in the form of short stories inspired by Prague; three collections have been published so far.

Publications (selection) Osobnost krále Vratislava I. (1061–1092) na mincích. K oficiálnímu vyobrazení prvního českého krále a k české panovnické distinkci / The personality of King Vratislav I (1061–1092) on coins. On the official depiction of the first Czech king and on Czech royal insignia, in: Acta Musei Nationalis Pragae – Historia Praha: Národní muzeum, 1984, 38(4), p. 169-220 (with Jarmila Hásková) Akt na medaili a plaketě, II. salon členů AUM / Nude on a Medal and Plaque, 2nd AUM Members' Salon, Moravské zemské muzeum 1994 Příspěvek k výrobě pozdně gotických kachlových matric – otázky výtvarné formy a technologie / A Contribution to the Production of Late Gothic Tile Molds—Questions of Artistic Form and Technology, in: Archeologia historica, 20, 1995, p. 539–550 (with Zdeněk Hazlbauer) Kavanova škola v současné české medaili / Kavan's School in Contemporary Czech Medal Art, in: Numismatické listy 50, 1995, s. 115–117 Svět české mince a medaile, katalog stálé expozice ve Vlašském dvoře / The World of Czech Coins and Medals: Catalog of the Permanent Exhibition at Vlašský dvůr, Kutná Hora 1996 (with Helena Štroblová) Pět let českých pamětních mincí / Five Years of Czech Commemorative Coins, in: Numismatické listy 54, 1999, p. 39-42 K počátkům Asociace umělců medailérů / On the origins of the Association of Medal Artists, in: Numismatické listy 56, 2001, p. 183-184 Encyklopedie kachlů v Čechách, na Moravě a ve Slezsku. Ikonografický atlas reliéfů na kachlích gotiky a renesance / Encyclopedia of Tiles in Bohemia, Moravia, and Silesia: An Iconographic Atlas of Reliefs on Gothic and Renaissance Tiles, Libri, Prague 2004, (with Čeněk Pavlík) Pyšelská heraldika / Heraldry of Pyšely, 71 s., Regulus, Prague 2006, Stavební dějiny Pyšel / The Architectural History of Pyšely, 200 p., Regulus, Prague 2014, Heraldika na mincích a medailích / Heraldry on Coins and Medals, 296 p., Libri, Prague 2017, Písmo na mincích a medailích / Lettering on Coins and Medals, 300 p., Libri, Prague 2020, Páv, collection of stories, 125 p., Bondy, Prague 2022, Portrét na mincích a medailích / Portrait on Coins and Medals, 290 p., Libri, Prague 2024, Svědectví jáchymovského tolaru / Testimony of Jáchymov Tolar, Genealogické a heraldické listy 1, 2026, p. 66-67 Lev, collection of stories, 135 p., B 2, Čerčany, 2024, Brána, collection of stories, 154 p., B 2, Čerčany, 2025

Co-author Irena Loskotová, Krása, která hřeje. Výběrový katalog gotických a renesančních kachlů Moravy a Slezska / Beauty That Warms. A Selective Catalog of Gothic and Renaissance Tiles from Moravia and Silesia, Slovácké muzeum Uherské Hradiště 2008,

Medals, orders, and insignia created (selection) Order of Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk, Jewel with a ribbon Order of Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk, Star, 1991 The City Key of Kolín, 1993 Order of the White Lion, Jewel, 1995 Order of the White Lion, Star, 1995 Cross of Merit from the Minister of Defense of the Czech Republic, 1996 Injury Medal – an award from the Ministry of Defense of the Czech Republic, 1996 IFOR - Award from the Ministry of Defense of the Czech Republic, 1996 Sceptre Head, Faculty of Chemistry, VUT Brno St. George – Be Ready, 2005 Sceptre Head, Dean's Chain, Faculty of Applied Informatics UTB Zlín, 2006 Sceptre Head, Faculty of Humanities UTB Zlín, 2007 Centre of brother Robin – Letohrad, 2008 Commemorative Medal “90th Anniversary of the Office of the President of the Republic, 1918–2008”, 2008 Sceptre Head, Mendel University in Brno, 2012 Sceptre Head, Faculty of Agronomy, Mendel University in Brno, 2012 Sceptre Head, Faculty of Forestry and Wood Sciences, Mendel University in Brno, 2012 Sceptre Head, Faculty of Operations and Technology, Mendel University in Brno, 2012 Sceptre Head, Faculty of Horticulture, Mendel University in Brno, 2012 Sceptre Head, Faculty of Regional Development and International Studies, Mendel University in Brno, 2012 Sceptre Head, Institute for Lifelong Learning, Mendel University in Brno, 2012 Mayor's Chain, Kosmonosy, 2013 Director's Chain, Institute of Forensic Engineering, VUT Brno, 2015 Sceptre, Institute of Forensic Engineering, VUT Brno, 2015 Knights' Order - Order of the Holy Sepulcher, 2023 Knights' Order - Order of the Templars, 2023 Knights' Order - Order of Saint Lazarus, 2024 Knights' Order - Order of the Teutonic Knights, 2024 Knights' Order - Order of St. John, 2024

Sculptural works (selection) Prométheus, 1971 Petr Cingr Commemorative Plaque, Hudlice, 1975 Sculpture for the kindergarten in Smržovka, 1978 Commemorative Plaques for the Workers' House, SONP Kladno, 1981 Relief Sculpture for the canteen of VŠE Prague, 1982 Memorial of Peasant revolt of 1775, Konopiště, 1988 Pravoslav Kotík Commemorative Plaque, Prague 7, 1989 Memorial of The Vow of Saint Adalbert of Prague in Libice nad Cidlinou, 1997 Wenceslaus II of Bohemia, Vlašský dvůr, Kutná Hora, 1998 Guard, Kutná Hora, 1998 Eliáš Lányi Memorial, Slovenské Pravno, 2003 Václav Morávek Commemorative Plaque, Kolín, 2004 Pavel Tigrid Commemorative Plaque, Prague, 2007 Ottokar II of Bohemia Commemorative Plaque, Městec Králové, 2008 The Raftsman of Davle, 2008 Cross at Všeň airfield, 2009 Frederick V of the Palatinate Commemorative Plaque, Pyšely, 2010 The Invisible Network, Faculty of Information Technology, Brno, 2010 Graffito /design/ - Mythological and Hunting Motif, Tvrz Orlice, 2010–2011 Josef Hlávka Commemorative Plaque, Prague, 2015 Josef Hlávka Commemorative Plaque, Vienna, 2016 Přemysl Šámal Commemorative Plaque, Prague, 2019

Representation in collections (selection) National Gallery Prague National Museum Moravian Gallery in Brno Moravské zemské muzeum, Brno National Museum of Archaeology, History and Art, Luxembourg Museum sztuki medalierskiej Wrocław NBS - Múzeum mincí a medailí, Kremnica United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, Washington, D.C. Prague City Gallery Gallery of Fine Arts in Cheb Museuum of Art Olomouc Gallery of Fine Arts in Náchod Museum of Eastern Bohemia, Hradec Králové Museum of Karlovy Vary

Solo exhibitions (selection) 1973 – Michal Vitanovský: Plastiky, Galerie mladých, Mánes, Prague 1977 – Michal Vitanovský: Medaile, Okresní galerie Jičín 1978 – Michal Vitanovský, Pavel Sivko, Galerie Fronta, Prague 1978 1983 – Michal Vitanovský: Medaile, plakety, drobná plastika 1968 - 1983, Česká numismatická společnost, Hradec Králové 1984 – Michal Vitanovský: Medaile, plakety a drobné plastiky z let 1968 - 1983, Okresní galerie výtvarného umění, Náchod 1988 – Michal Vitanovský: Medaile a plakety s historickými a hornickými náměty, Okresní muzeum, Kladno 1989 – Michal Vitanovský: Velké postavy českých dějin, Jihomoravské muzeum, Znojmo 1990 – Michal Vitanovský: Medaile a plakety, Karlovarské muzeum, Karlovy Vary 1994 – Michal Vitanovský: Osobnosti českých dějin, Pražský hrad, Lobkovický palác, Prague 1995 – Michal Vitanovský: Osobnosti českých dějin (medaile a plakety), Městské muzeum Čáslav 1998 – Michal Vitanovský: České dějiny na medailích a plaketách, Státní knihovna, Prague 2003 – Michal Vitanovský: Mince, Biskupská mincovna, Kroměříž 2006 – Senát a historický kontext české státnosti v díle Michala Vitanovského, Senát ČR 2006 – Michal Vitanovský - retrospektiva, křížová chodba Strahovského kláštera 2008 – Michal Vitanovský: Praha - Kremnica a späť, Výstavní kabinet numizmatické expozice v NBS-MMM, Kremnica 2009 – Michal Vitanovský: Ražené medaile, vyznamenání an insignie, Evropská numismatická asociace a UPM, Prague 2009 2010 – Michal Vitanovský: Komorní formáty 2000 – 2010, Galerie u lávky, Prague-Troja, 2011 – Michal Vitanovský: Evropské kontury českých dějin – medaile a plakety, Galerie 172, Klatovy 2026 – Michal Vitanovský: Reliéfy, kresby, texty, Galerie U lávky, Prague