Lot 149

Kamil Lhoták (1912 - 1990) TOUR DE FRANCE

Kamil Lhoták's early work represents an important milestone in the artist's development. Barely half of his earliest works from 1937 and 1938 have survived. The year 1939, when Lhoták's focus shifted from studying law to artistic creation, was a fruitful one for him, and he actively improved his painting technique. The year 1939 was also a turning point due to an exhibition at the Beaufort Gallery, where members of the Umělecká beseda (Artistic Society) took notice of Lhoták's work. Contemporary critics praised Lhoták's original range of themes and concepts. Otakar Mrkvička, a respected critic, said that even he would choose something here for the walls of his apartment, "and we professionals are not easily impressed." Kamil Lhoták was subsequently invited to exhibit at the Umělecká beseda. This rare work from Kamil Lhoták's early career comes from the collection of Czech artist Ivan Steiger, where it remained for several decades. The central motif is the pinnacle of Lhoták's beloved cycling - the Tour de France. The motif of bicycles and cyclists first appeared in 1939 and was subsequently repeated periodically. Enchanted by exotic palm trees and the sea horizon, he painted a peloton of cyclists on the French Riviera with a few confident strokes and recorded the last Tour de France for the next seven years, when the war put an end to this cycling festival.

Published: Šteffek, L., 2024: Kamil Lhoták - A Thousand Paintings. p. 30, cat. no. 108.