About

Vilém Reichmann was a Czech photographer, graphic artist, and painter known for his surrealistic approach and poetic sensitivity. A significant figure in Czech Surrealist photography, Reichmann’s work explored lyrical interpretations of reality through visual metaphors.

Born in Brno, he studied architecture at the German Technical University from 1927 to 1932, earning an engineering degree. During his university years, he was active as a graphic artist and illustrator, contributing to various leftist publications and socialist student organizations.

A self-taught photographer, Reichmann began taking photographs in the 1930s while also working as an illustrator. In 1947, he exhibited his work for the first time with the surrealist Ra Group. His images, often focused on unconventional perspectives and abstract compositions, reimagined ordinary urban settings as poetic and metaphorical scenes.

During World War II, Reichmann was conscripted into the German army and later defected to the Russian side but was taken prisoner. After the war, he returned as a prisoner of war and was ultimately released due to the efforts of his former wife, actress Rudolfina (Dolly) Barbora Zukalová.

In the 1960s, Reichmann became associated with the experimental DOFO group, incorporating elements of Pop Art, textual abstraction, and absurdist humor while continuing his exploration of poetic imagery. Over his career, he held nearly thirty solo exhibitions across Europe and took part in numerous group shows in Czechoslovakia and abroad.

The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, which holds works by Vilém Reichmann in its collection, featured his photography in the 1990 exhibition Vilém Reichmann, Aleksandras Macijauskas: Two Views of Eastern Europe after the War, exploring post-war photography. His art is also part of the collections at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, the Museum of Contemporary Photography in Chicago, and the Museum Folkwang in Essen. Today, his work is recognized as a vital contribution to Czech surrealism and modernist photography.