The artist of Czech-origin Alex Sádlo works in several media, ranging from painting in oils and other media to enamels, jewellery and ceramics. A particular interest is creating Three-Dimensional illusions with abstract forms. In much of this work he operates close to the Optical Art produced by luminaries such as Briget Riley, Victor Vasarely and Yaacov Agam. He has a liking for using carefully articulated and graded coloured stripes in many of these paintings, a device he also employs in many of his realistic figurative and semi-abstract compositions.

In terms of Australian art, he was a pioneer of this kind of activity, and his presence in Adelaide and at the Contemporary Art Society had an osmotic effect on a later generation of painters who emerged from the South Australian School of Art and are now credited with bringing Hard Edge, Colour Field and Op Art to the fore in Australian art. Sádlo was also a pioneer of Pop Art in Australia, and used collage extensively in some of his work from the 1960s, councurrent with a second-wave of Australian collage artists (after the 1940s’ surrealists), such as the Annandale Imitation Realists.

Sádlo was also a pioneer of modern enamelling and jewellery in Adelaide, and his influence has been recognised on a later generation of successful jewellers in Australia.

He has lived in London since the early 1970s, and has represented Britain at 4th Biennale International del 'Art de l’Email, Limoges, France (1976); the 13th Exhibition of International Enamelling Art, Ueno Royal Museum, Tokyo (1979); at the 5th Limoges Biennale (1980); and won the pize for enamel picture at the International Exhibition, Ueno Royal Museum, Tokyo (1987). He has also exhibited at 3 Internationales St Gallener Festival der Kuenste in Austria and held major survey exhibitions in Buckinghamshire, UK (1997) and Zapadoceska Gallery, Plzen, Czech Republic (2006).

Writers:

Dutkiewicz, Adam

Date written:

2007

Last updated:

2011