Jaromír Funke
photographer
Jaromír Funke was a prominent Czech avant-garde photographer active during the 1920s and 1930s. Born into a wealthy family in Skuteč, he studied medicine, law, and philosophy at Charles University in Prague but ultimately turned to photography. He became a leading figure in the Czech photographic scene, co-founding the Czech Photographic Society with Josef Sudek and Adolf Schneeberger in 1924. Funke was renowned for his 'photographic games,' utilizing mirrors, lights, and everyday objects like bottles or glasses to create abstract forms and dynamic diagonals reminiscent of photograms. He taught at the School of Graphic Art in Prague until 1944 and published several works on photography theory. His career was cut short during World War II; he died in March 1945 following an Allied airstrike that interrupted electricity supply to a hospital where he was undergoing surgery.[1,2,3,4]
- abstract forms
- light and shadow
- photograms
- dynamic diagonals
- avant-garde photography
Books
-
Fotografie€28.00
Works by Jaromír Funke
- 1970 Fotografie Posthumous retrospective monograph featuring 132 photogravures.
- Od fotogramu k emoci Understood to be his manifesto.
- 1935 Fotografie vidí povrch Published with Ladislav Sutha.
Exhibitions
- 2009 Jaromír Funke and the Amateur Avant-Garde
- 2015 Jaromír Funke and Avant-garde Photography in Czechoslovakia 1900–1950
- 2016 Jaromír Funke: Photographer of the Avant-Garde