Life.
Josef Wagner was born in 1938 in Holešovice, Prague. From a young age, he was surrounded by the work of his father, sculptor Josef Wagner (1901-1957), one of the representatives of the Czech sculptural avant-garde, and the mother of sculptor Marie Kulhánková-Wagnerová (1917-1986). His sculptor, Jan Wagner (1942-2005), who was five years younger, was also a sculptor.
J. W. himself began as a sculptor (participation in the biennial of spatial forms in Elblag, Poland), then studied architecture at the Prague Academy of Arts, Architecture and Design, but later decided unequivocally on painting, drawing and graphics. His friends of his prematurely deceased father included, for example, František Tichý, František Muzika, Emil Filla, Josef Sudek, František Šmejkal, Jan Maria Tomeš, Jaroslav Seifert and others. This circle of friends, as well as the later friendship with the painter Mikuláš Medek, had a great influence on Josef Wagner.
Creation.
The painter, who essentially belonged to Prague and the Czech environment, is a typical example of an artist who first enchanted foreign galleries and collectors with his work.
Josef Wagner Association
The association was founded in 2021 and is a non-profit organization. It deals with the professional elaboration of the artistic legacy of the Wagner family in contemporary and critical contexts.