Otmar Oliva (born 19 February 1952) is a Czech sculptor and political prisoner. He specializes in the creation of liturgical objects and the arrangement of sacral buildings.
Biography
Oliva was born on 19 February 1952 in
Olomouc
Olomouc (, , ; german: Olmütz; pl, Ołomuniec ; la, Olomucium or ''Iuliomontium'') is a city in the Czech Republic. It has about 99,000 inhabitants, and its larger urban zone has a population of about 384,000 inhabitants (2019).
Located on t ...
-Hodolany. His mother was a political prisoner and his father was a war veteran. In 1967–1972, he studied sculpture at the Secondary School of Applied Arts in
Uherské Hradiště
Uherské Hradiště (; german: Ungarisch Hradisch, hu, Magyarhradis) is a town in the Zlín Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 24,000 inhabitants. The agglomeration with the two neighbouring towns of Staré Město and Kunovice has over ...
and in 1972–1978, he studied sculpture at
Academy of Fine Arts, Prague
The Academy of Fine Arts, Prague ( cs, Akademie výtvarných umění v Praze; AVU) is an art college in Prague, Czech Republic. Founded in 1799, it is the oldest art college in the country. The school offers twelve master's degree programs and on ...
. He was actively involved in
dissent
Dissent is an opinion, philosophy or sentiment of non-agreement or opposition to a prevailing idea or policy enforced under the authority of a government, political party or other entity or individual. A dissenting person may be referred to as ...
and issuing and distribuing
samizdat
Samizdat (russian: самиздат, lit=self-publishing, links=no) was a form of dissident activity across the Eastern Bloc in which individuals reproduced censored and underground makeshift publications, often by hand, and passed the document ...
documents of
Charter 77
Charter 77 (''Charta 77'' in Czech and Slovak) was an informal civic initiative in the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic from 1976 to 1992, named after the document Charter 77 from January 1977. Founding members and architects were Jiří Něm ...
. He was arrested in 1979 and became a political prisoner for 20 months.
After returning from prison in 1981, he got married. Since 1985, he was living and creating art in
Velehrad
Velehrad is a municipality and village in Uherské Hradiště District in the Zlín Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 1,100 inhabitants. It is known as a pilgrimage site.
Geography
Most of the municipality lies in the Chřiby highlands. ...
. He created many sculptures of a predominantly sacred nature, and specialised himself mainly in the decoration of bells. He remained active in dissent. After the
Velvet Revolution
The Velvet Revolution ( cs, Sametová revoluce) or Gentle Revolution ( sk, Nežná revolúcia) was a non-violent transition of power in what was then Czechoslovakia, occurring from 17 November to 28 November 1989. Popular demonstrations agains ...
, he continued his artistic creation in his studio in Velehrad, where he also casts his sculptures. His masterpiece is the decoration of the papal
Redemptoris Mater Chapel in Vatican City in 1994.
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Work
Oliva decorated many objects with liturgical ornaments. His notable works include:[
* Redemptoris Mater Chapel in Vatican City
*Church of Our Lady Mother of the Church in Maribor, Slovenia
*Basilica in ]Velehrad
Velehrad is a municipality and village in Uherské Hradiště District in the Zlín Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 1,100 inhabitants. It is known as a pilgrimage site.
Geography
Most of the municipality lies in the Chřiby highlands. ...
* Svatá Hora in Příbram
Příbram (; german: Freiberg in Böhmen, ''Przibram'', or ''Pribram'', in 1939–1945 ''Pibrans'') is a town in the Central Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 32,000 inhabitants. It is well known for its mining history, and mor ...
*Church of Our Lady of Victory in Karmelitská Street in Prague 1
References
External links
*
{{Authority control
1952 births
Living people
Artists from Olomouc
Czech sculptors