Publications & The Media

Review from the Magazine of the British Czech and Slovak Association.
10 April/May 2026

Sadlo back in context

The BCS Review 205 carried an article by Gaynor Sadlo about the life and work of her husband Alexander Sadlo. It mentioned the Navrat Domu (Return Home) project whereby his work will be exhibited in three locations in the Plzen Region. Dr Michael Zachar is the curator of the project, and has written this essay about Alexander Sadlo’s work.

The life trajectories of 20th-century artists were often fundamentally shaped by political upheavals, which influenced not only their personal paths but also their opportunities for artistic realisation and the reception of their work.

One such figure whose significance remained under-appreciated in the Czech environment for a long time is undoubtedly Alexander Sadlo (1927-2021), a versatile visual artist whose work transcends the boundaries of individual media and cultural contexts.

The current exhibition project prepared by the JK Tyl Theatre in Plzen (DJKT) presents an ambitious three-year initiative entitled Return Home, aimed at systematically introducing Sadlo’s work to Czech audiences.

A key aspect of the project is its division across several exhibition venues: in addition to the installation directly in the DJKT building (September 24-December 14, 2025), which attracted approximately 45,000 visitors, Sadlo’s works will also be presented at the Nebilovy State Chateau (August 15-October 21, 2026) and at the Klatovy/Klenova Gallery within the Klenova castle complex.

This extension beyond the traditional institution of the theatre creates an important context for perceiving the artist’s work across diverse spatial and interpretative frameworks.

Alexander Sadlo belongs to a group of artists who cannot easily be classified within a single category. He was a painter, draughtsman, ceramicist, jeweller and an experimenter with new media. Paradoxically, this breadth – reminiscent of the Renaissance ideal – became one of the reasons why his work eluded clear classification and, consequently, broader recognition.

His work is characterised by extraordinary productivity and a constant need for visual expression. From small drawings and enamel jewellery to large-scale paintings and spatial collages, Sadlo systematically developed his visual language across media. A distinctive feature of his work is the combination of geometric order, vivid colour and dynamic movement.

Sadlo was born in 1927 in the village of Tulcik, in what was then Czechoslovakia. Due to political changes and the rise of totalitarian regimes, his life path was soon marked by migration. Fleeing the growing threat of fascism, he moved with his family from Slovakia to his father’s hometown of Plzen.

At the age of fifteen, he joined theatre workshops in Plzen as an apprentice stage decoration painter to avoid forced labour in the Reich, where he remained for three years. There, his talent developed significantly, prompting him to pursue further studies at an art school in Prague.

However, in 1948, due to his openly anti-totalitarian views, he was attacked by fanatical fellow students and expelled from the faculty. He subsequently chose to emigrate; via Austria, he eventually reached Australia, where he settled in Adelaide and where his artistic style took a decisive turn.

The Australian period represents a key phase in his work. He developed not only painting but also enamel work, jewellery and ceramics. It was there that he met his future life partner and wife, Gaynor Robinson. He experimented with pointillist techniques, stereoscopic collages and later also holographic effects.

His work gradually gained recognition from both the professional community and institutions; some of his pieces were included in major collections, including national galleries in Australia.

In 1972, Sadlo travelled to Europe to visit his family and birthplace and then settled in the United Kingdom, where he continued his artistic and exhibition activities. Together with his wife, sculptor and ceramicist Gaynor Sadlo Robinson, he realised numerous projects and exhibitions across Europe and beyond. His work was presented at international showcases and received several awards, particularly in the field of enamel (Tokyo, Limoges).

Sadlo’s work is characterised by a synthesis of figurative and abstract elements. Abstraction is not an end in itself, but a method used to energise the image and express movement and emotional intensity. Typical are his portraits of musicians, which combine recognisable figures with kaleidoscopic fragmentation.

Colour also plays a significant role, often appearing intense, contrasting and visually striking. Another important element is his work with materials, especially in collages, where he cut and re-formed contemporary stereoscopic images to create optical illusions of space and movement.

In addition to painting, Sadlo also devoted himself to jewellery and enamel, which served not only as artistic media but also as a source of livelihood. These works, often inspired by natural materials, carry strong aesthetic and symbolic value.

After 1989, Sadlo was able to return freely to the Czech cultural space for the first time. A significant milestone was his exhibition at the West Bohemian Gallery in Plzen in 2006. However, the current project Return Home represents the most comprehensive effort to date to reintegrate his work into the Czech and Central European context.

A crucial role is played not only by the presentation of the works themselves, but also by the return of the artist’s estate to Plzen, where it is now cared for by his widow. This opens up new possibilities for research and future interpretations.

A distinctive feature of the current project is its division into three different exhibition environments: theatre, chateau, and gallery. The installation at DJKT represents the viewer’s first encounter with the artist’s work within a living cultural space. The subsequent exhibition at Nebilovy Chateau offers a confrontation between Sadlo’s work and a historical setting, while the Klenova Gallery provides a traditional institutional framework for visual art.

This trio of locations is not accidental; it allows Sadlo’s work to be viewed from multiple perspectives and highlights its ability to communicate across contexts. At the same time, it reflects the artist’s own life experience, characterised by constant movement between cultures, environments and media.

Alexander Sadlo represents a significant yet still insufficiently reflected figure in Czech and international visual art. His work, spanning continents and disciplines, offers a unique perspective on the possibilities of visual language in the second half of the 20th century.

The Return Home project is therefore not merely an exhibition cycle, but also a symbolic gesture; a return of the artist to the cultural space from which he was once forced to leave.

The emphasis on presenting his work not only in Plzen, but also in Nebilovy and Klenova, underlines the ambition to introduce Sadlo as a complex and multilayered personality whose significance transcends regional and temporal boundaries. The Return Home project is supported by the City of Plzen, the Plzen Region, and the Government of the Czech Republic.

“Figures in Movement”
Eastbourne, February 2024

The exhibition Figures in Movement at Gallery 42 was the second major exhibition in Eastbourne, where Alex spent the last years of his life. It’s a wonderful response and recognition of what he created, and what he offered to their local community…

Click here for the exhibition review by Adam Dutkiewicz

“Experimental Journey – an Artist in Three Countries”
Adam Dutkiewicz & Gaynor Sadlo

Alexander Sadlo was the pioneer of optical geometrical painting in Australia, and his presence in Adelaide and at the Contemporary Art Society had an osmotic effect on a later generation of painters who are now credited with bringing Hard Edge, Colour Field and Op Art to the fore in Australia.

Click to Buy Here