David Cerny

David Černý first gained notoriety in 1991 when he painted a Soviet tank pink as a memorial to war in his native Prague. Since then his artistic acts of civil disobedience, grand scale installations, and exhibitions have continued to incite strong reactions worldwide. In 2005, he participated in the Prague Biennale 2 with his work “Shark” - a riff on fellow artist Damian Hirst, which consisted of an image of Saddam Hussein immersed in a tank of formaldehyde. Famously, in a stance against communism in 2015, Černý installed a 30-foot-tall purple hand on a barge in Prague’s Vltava River raising its middle finger in a “Fuck You” directly in front of the castle where Czech president Milos Zeman lived.

Visitors to the Hohmann gallery get two see brand new resin works and a glimpse into the mind of notorious provocateur David Černý. The mind-bending "X-Ray Guns" display a variety of apparently translucent three-dimensional guns seen in a resin box, reminiscent of objects seen through the eyes of a security agent commandeering an x-ray machine and their composition vaguely reminding of the American flag. Brilliance resides alongside Černý’s rebelliousness in his art. Many recent works were created through the artist’s proprietary and mind-boggling technique of casting three-dimensional objects from everyday life such as guns, tubes, tools, and light bulbs that emerge completely formed yet translucent as if on permanent x-ray. These items are then used in various ways, embedded in polymer resin, to either become subliminal constituents of an overall image, or as singular objects in a composition meant to impart a strong message. Much like the recently installed "Babies" whose faces have been replaced with a bar code stamp to symbolize the dehumanization of society - a very troubling subject to the Czech artist.

Černý is known for his harsh and often crass criticism. It has landed him on the BBC list of the 20 most controversial artworks and in the headlines of many articles. Hohmann is pleased to represent the timeless, controversial works by an artist not afraid to investigate the political climate, war machine, and other social issues of our tumultuous contemporary times.

Palm Springs Babies

David Cerny has Palm Springs talking. The controversial and spectacular art installation of 10 massive babies with bar codes instead of faces caused an initial outrage, but soon became the most visited public art installation in the desert and a social media sensation. As Christian Hohmann says "Whenever art touches on raw emotions and creates controversy, it also creates conversation and with it an opportunity to educate."

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Cerny at Art Miami

HOHMANN will premiere two brand new resin works by David Cerny at this year's booth at Art Miami.

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Beetle

Artist David Černý has pinned his “BEETLE” on BB Centrum.

“BROUK” or “BEETLE”, a sculpture in the shape of the legendary Porsche 911 automobile and one of the unique moving installations from artist David Černý, can be seen from the beginning of April in BB Centrum in Prague 4. Passerinvest Group, which is behind the development of this location and which has long invested in non-profit projects and the development of the public space, has thus enriched this space with an untraditional installation, which will also welcome people to the complex.

PORTFOLIO

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Most of David Cerny's works are site specific one of a kind sculpture projects and prices vary widely based on scale and can range from several hundred thousand to several million US$ and they draw thousands of visitors wherever they are placed. Smaller readily available works range from the $20,000s to many $100,000s.

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David Cerny on Instagram #davidcerny

The Desert Sun

The Palm Springs Babies in the local press

CNNstyle

Controversial 'shipwreck' tower could soon be Prague's tallest building

PragueGO

Take a Free 9-Stop Tour of David Cerny’s Prague

The Guardian

A David Cerny sculpture walk in Prague

WILL FLY FOR FOOD

David Cerny: See 9 of His Bizarre Sculptures on this Self-Guided Tour in Prague, Czech Republic

News Channel 3

Colossal naked faceless babies installation to be unveiled in Palm Springs next week.

BBC

Czech floating finger sends president message

Palm Springs Life

Babies on Board

GOOGLE

David Cerny Sculptures

Lovely Prague

A TOUR OF DAVID CERNY’S PRAGUE

EATING EUROPE

David Černý Unfiltered: All You Need to Know about the Czech Rebel Artist

Designboom

david černý's 'metalmorphosis' sculpture in north carolina

COACHELLA

Exclusive Video Interview with the controversial David Černý, the Czech Creator of the “Babies” now crawling in downtown Palm Springs!

BIOGRAPHY

David Černý was born in 1967 in Prague, Czech Republic

Černý burst into the public eye in 1991 when he painted a Soviet tank, that served as a war memorial in central Prague, the color pink. Creating extreme controversy with his work, this international sculptor has been described as “witty, exciting, kinetic, crass and provocative”. Černý is the son of a graphic designer father and a mother who was a restorer of art in the National Gallery of Prague. He learned his trade at the Academy of Applied Art in the country’s capital, studied in Boswil on a grant from the Swiss government, and also in New York City at P.S.I Artists Residence New York before taking part in the Whitney Museum Independent Study Program.

His works are characteristically bold, courageous and reach into sensitive political, historical and social themes, all sprinkled with the unconventional artist’s sarcastic humor. In his hometown of Prague alone, Černý has 14 installations in public spaces that have become major public attractions. In 2001 he created a non-profit cultural art and event center in a former 1920’s glass warehouse in Prague, which he named the “Meet Factory”. Černý calls his factory a “multicultural supermarket”, as it houses a theater, music stage and 16 studious occupied by a total of 30 international artists.

Education

1995-1996	Whitney Museum Independent Study Program, New York, USA
1994-1995	P.S.I. artists residence, New York, USA
1991	Sculptor’s residency grant Swiss government in Boswil, Switzerland
1988-1994	Academy of Applied Arts, Prof. Kurt Gebauer, Prague

Selected Solo Exhibitions

2016	"legs" rio de janeiro, Olympic house Czech republic
	Black Hole DSC gallery prague
2014	DSC gallery, Prague
2013	Mucsarnok, Budapest
	DSC gallery, Prague
	Kuchling Gallery, Berlin
	"Fuck You Mr President" Prague, Vltava river
2012	"London Booster", London Olympic games
2010	Mona Lisa gallery Olomouc
	Gallery Arsenal, Poznan
2009	DSC gallery prague
	"Entropa", European commity, Bruxels
2007	"Man hanging out" Chicago, USA
2002	"Cirkus Cerny", MAMA gallery / Netherlands Architecture Institute / TENT / Politiegalerie /
	"Political Pop", chromosome Berlin, Germany
	Galerie V kapli, Bruntal, Czech Republic
2000	NYU, Prague
1999	Czech Embassy London, Great Britain
1993	“Artificial”, Spalova Gallery, Prague
1992	“Fertility”, Rubin Club, Center of Performing Arts, with Marketa Bankova, Prague
1993	“Draft”, Andy Warhol Museum of Modern Art, Medzilaborce, Slovakia
	“Smallness” State Gallery, Znojmo, Czech Republic
1990	“Exhibition for The Meanest Instincts”, Club Delta, with Tomas Pospiszyl, Prague

Selected Group Exhibitions

2020	“Art in Oisterwik”, Holland
2019	"Sculpture by the sea" Sydney, Australia
2018	“Shenzen biennale”, China
2016	"NordArt" Regensburg, Germany
	"Observations: A Digital Life" New York, USA
2015	"Open Air" Orebro, Sweden
2014	“Sculpture by the sea” Sydney, Australia “Signal festival” Prague “Light festival” Amsterdam, The Netherlands
2013	“Twente Biennale”, Hengelo, The Netherlands “Art Masters”, San Moritz, Swiss
2012	“Biele Noci” Kosice, Slovakia
2011	“Twente Biennale”, Hengelo, The Netherlands “Inspiracje”, Szczecin, Poland “ArtBoom”, Krakow, Poland “Cenzurovano” Zlin, CR “Mapy” GMB, Bratislava, “Groteska”, NOD, Praha
	MojA, Praha “Nord Art”, Rensbourg, Germany
2010	“Twente Biennale” Amsterdam “AntiBeeld” , Arti et Amicitiae, Amsterdam “Homo Erotica” National Museum Warsaw “Colours” Dresden motorhalle “Art Pricze” DOX Prague “Dekadence now” Umprum, Prague Danubiana, Bratislava
2009	Chalupecky Prize, Seoul, Korea Monument ghmp, Pragu “Po Sametu” U zlateho Prstenu , Prague Center for Contemporary Art - Plovdiv Pecsgallery, Hungary Irokez Gallery, Budapest “Katowice biennial” Poland
2008	Interferencia Barcelona Madrid
2006	“Project 2006 Beaufort”, Oostende,Belgium “Shadows of Humor”, Wroclaw BWA Gallery,Poland “Waste of Humor” Cieszyn, Poland
2005	"Prague Biennale” Prague “Pink”, Tokyo nat. univ. of art , Tokyo “Living Together”, Odapark Venray, Holland “happy materials” NTM, Prague “Beautyfreeshop” , Prague
2003	“SURVEY ’03“, Futura Gallery, Prague “Aus Liebe“, Galerie der Stadt Remscheid, Remscheid, Germany
2002	“Politikum”, Prague Castle, Pragu “Between Dresden and Prague”, Italian Embassy, Prague
2001	“to flow to”, chromosome Berlin, Germany “A Sense of Wellbeing”, Karlovy Vary, Czech Republic
2000	“Czech History”, SKODA Pavillion, Autostadt Volkswagen, Wolfsburg, Germany “Maso / Meet“, Chalupeckého Prize, National Gallery, Prague “Bohemian Birds”, Kunsthalle Dresden, Germany “The End of the World”, National Gallery, Prague
1999-2000	“After the Wall. Art and Culture in post-Communist Europe” Moderna Museet, Stockholm, Sweden; Ludwig Museum Budapest – Museum of Contemporary Art, Hungary Hamburger Bahnhof, Berlin, Germany
1999	99 CZ, Prague
1998	Atelier of all Sculpturing, Prague “Nad Možnosti” City Gallery, Brno, Czech Republic
1997	Jiri Svestka Gallery, Prague SCCA Kyjev, Ukraine Joslyn Memorial Art Museum, Omaha, Nebraska, USA Veletržní palác, Art in public space, Prague Czech Cultural Center, Berlin, Germany
1996	Whitney Museum Independent Study Program, New York, USA Institute of Contemporary Art, Philadelphia, USA Technische Sammlung Dresden, Dresden, Germany “Object: Video”, Landesgalerie Linz, Austria “Beyond Belief” Allen Memorial Arts Museum, Oberlin, USA Institute of Contemporary Art, Philadelphia, USA
1995	“Orbis Fictus”, New Media in Contemporary Arts, National Gallery, Prague “Artcircolo 95”, Castle Melnik by Prague P.S.1 94-95 Studio artists, The clocktower, New York, USA “Beyond Belief”, Museum of Contemporary Arts, Chicago, USA
1994	600 SIAF, Seoul International Art Festival, Seoul, Korea The 22nd Sao Paolo International Biennial Sao Paolo, Brasil “Impermanent Places, Seven Installations from Prague” The World Financial Center, New York, USA “You Must Remember This”, Ronald Feldman Fine Arts, New York, USA “Young Artist from Prague”, Duesseldorf - Kunstmuseum, Germany
1993	“Europe without Walls”, City Galleries, Manchester, Great Britain
1992	“Edge 92”, Madrid - London, International Biennial of Visual and Performance Art, Spain
1991	Light Festival of avant-garde Art under the former Stalin monument, Prague Sargfabrik, International Exhibition of Young Artists, Vienna, Austria
1990	“Czech Alternative”, Galerie ULUV, Prague Old Town Yards, open-air exhibition of Contemporary Art, Prague
1989	“Smile, Joke and Grim”, Palace of Culture, State Gallery, Prague “November 89”, Manes, State Gallery, Prague The Neostunners, Prague - underground exhibition of Art group

TV and Movies

1987	“Bridge”, Prague “Vychovatel ke strachu”, Dir P. Marek - Animation
1986	“Sounds”, Ostrava, Czech Republic"
1997	“Buttoners (Knoflíkáji)”, dir. Petr Zelenka - actor and stage designer
1998	“Prague stories”, dir A.Benki - actor and stage designer
	“Touch of picture”, FAMU, architect
2002-2004	ARTOZA, Czech TV , monthly magazine about contemporary art, screenplay and theme
2004	Zkamenělý dítě, Music video LUCIE band
2012	Karel Vas, dokument, narrator

Theater - Stage Design

1987-1990	Stage design for Theatre Rubin Praha, Prague
1999	Dir. David Czesaný, Drama Studio Ústí n. Labem, Czech Republic
2001	George Tabori - Vídenský rízek, Dir.Jirí Pokorný, Theatre On the Balustrade
2014	Vaclav Havel, Theatre Na zabradli, Prague

Selected Collections

SKODA Pavillion, Autostadt Volkswagen, Wolfsburg, Germany

Museum of Modern Art, San Diego, USA

German Embassy, Prague, Czech Republic

Gallery of Modern Art Olomouc

Museum Checkpoint Charlie, Berlin, Germany

Military museum, Lesany, Czech Republic

Private collections in Austria, Czech Republic, Germany, USA, Greece,

GB, France etc..

Grants and Awards

2000	Chalupecky Prize, National prize for young artist,Czech Republic
1996	Pollock Krasner Foundation Grant, USA
1990	Special Prize in the Biennale of Kortrijk, Belgium

Permanent Installations

Since 2020	“Lynch” Los Angeles, USA
	“Falcons”, Doha, Qatar
	“Beetle”, Prague, Czech Rep
	“Quo Vadis” Berlin, Germany
Since 2018	“Horspowers”, Prague, Czech Rep
Since 2017	"Thief" Museum of modern art Olomouc
Since 2016	"Head", Royal Caribbean
	"Trifoot", Prague
Since 2015	"Thinker", San Moritz, Switzerland
Since 2014	“Three Babies”, Private Collection, Australia
	“K”, Prague Czech republic
Since 2011	“Crychloids”, Miura design hotel, Celadna, Czech Republic
Since 2010	“Golem”, Poznan, Poland
Since 2008	“Embryo” theatre Na zabradli, Prague
Since 2006	“Metalmorphosis” fountain, Charlotte, USA,
Since 2005	“Bus Stop-Still-Life” Liberec, Czech Republic
Since 2004	“Three Babies” Middelkerke, Belgium “Streams” Hergetova Cihelna, Prague, Czech Republic
2004	Winner of II WW memorial for Prague, not realized because of political statement of author
Since 2003	“Sochy / Brownnosers” Futura Gallery, Prague, Czech Republic
Since 2001	“10 Dkg Tanku / A Hundred Grams of Tank”, Lázne Bohdanec, Czech Republic “Mimina / Babies”, TV tower, Prague, Czech Republic
Since 2000	“Czech native sceen”, autostadt Wolfsburg, Germany
Since 1999	“Saint Wenceslav”, Lucerna Passage, Prague, Czech Republic
Since 1994	“Pink Tank”, Vojenske Museum (Military Technical Museum), Lesany, Czech Republic
Since 1990	“Quo Vadis”, German ambassy Prague, Czech Republic