Marian Karel


Marian Karel, is a Czech sculptor and university professor.

Life and career

From 1959 to 1963 he studied at the Central School of Applied Arts in Jablonec nad Nisou. In the years 1965 to 1972 he studied at the studio of Stanislav Libenský at the Academy of Arts, Architecture and Design in Prague.
In 1992 he became Head of the Studio Glass in Architecture at the University of Applied Arts in Prague, and in 1995 he was appointed Professor and the Head of the department of fine arts. His other teaching activities have included posts in the United States, United Kingdom, Japan, New Zealand, Finland, France, Ireland and Bulgaria. Since 2009 he has been a professor at the Faculty of Architecture, Technical University, where he heads the Department of Industrial Design.

Art Work

Marian Karel uses light, glass, and geometric forms to make illusionistic sculptures that challenge the viewer's perceptions of space. He has reached an international status within the Minimalistic movement, although he does not fully identify himself with this style. He expresses very simplistic interactions between basic geometrical elements, which very artfully and intricately connect and permeate. He has had several gallery and museum exhibitions, including at the Museum Kampa, The Jan and Meda Mládek Foundation and at the Galerie Karsten Greve, Paris. His works include the following sculptures: