The Otakar Suchy In Our Den
Friday, July 17, 2015
Our home has many of my framed photographs on the walls. Today
I took inventory and found out that I have lots of original art from other
people. Most were given to me a few I purchased. I have several sculptures, 9 paintings, three photogravures,
one photograph and this 10cm by 15½ cm copper (pressed?).
I remember that it was given to my Rosemary by an employee
at Mariposa in the middle 80s. Rosemary worked there until 2008. She has no
memory of the man or the pressed sculpture that has been in one of our den’s
wall bookcases since we moved to Athlone in 1986.
I inspected the left hand corner with my Agfa photo loupe and read
Otakar Suchy. I am not sure if that y is accented. And underneath there is a
date, 1977, that is scratched.
The Otakar Suchy in my den is an object I have admired
through the years. It is most pleasant to have art in one’s house even if one
cannot afford a Picasso.
I recently reconnected with artist Rudy Schneeweiss who kindly sent me this portrait of Otakar.
Schneeweiss Landscapes
I recently reconnected with artist Rudy Schneeweiss who kindly sent me this portrait of Otakar.
Schneeweiss Landscapes
Addendum: Suchy's life seems to have ended in disappointment and tragedy. I thought twice about including here Rudy Schneeweiss's information on a man I thought lost years ago. But I think that this man's life and artistry need to be remembered.
Hi Alex,
Sculptor Otto Suchy was employed in Mariposa at the Display dept. for about two or three months in 1980.(?) He was fired upon McNamara's wish. He caught him several times attending his car in the shift. He moved in the eighties to the USA and I lost track of his doings. Later I found out he opened a shop for restoration of antique metalwork in New Jersey. The last news about him I got from the internet, he was already broken by the loss of his wife Vicki and had mounting debts for rent. He ended up living in his shop until a benevolent landlord couldn't carry it any longer and then he most likely got a place through a social help organization. That was when he was already seventy five years old. If he still lives I do not know because he did not keep in touch with anyone in Canada. Otto was in Czech Republic well known artist and Canada and US was for him a great disappointment because of his inability to promote his work and talents. While I knew him and consider him to be friend I made his portrait which I am enclosing.
Rudy- September 18, 2015
