BOOK VÁCLAV HAVEL WITH AN ORIGINAL AUTHOR’S PHOTOGRAPH | Signed (cz)

Product detailed description

My Story – How It All Began

In 1989, I was 26 years old. After the fall of the Berlin Wall — a symbol of a world divided between East and West — the revolutionary wave reached Prague as well. In less than two months, a country that had terrorized its citizens for forty years in the name of communism and “bright tomorrows” elected a playwright, writer, dissident, prisoner of conscience, and former brewery worker as its head of state: Václav Havel.

By a combination of coincidence, chance, and the luck of being in the right place at the right time, I became his personal photographer. I didn’t know him; he didn’t know me. He was a generation older. I didn’t really know who I was myself — an unfinished photography student, without proper equipment or experience, with family responsibilities and no money. But that didn’t matter. It was an adventure you only get once in a lifetime. It was a time when everything seemed possible.

I traveled and flew as what was probably the youngest photographer of a head of state anywhere in the world. I witnessed the unimaginable, met and photographed famous and influential people I had previously known only from newspapers or television. I photographed crowds filling public squares as well as intimate moments of a president who was, in truth, never a typical president. Everything in the world is fleeting — but photography remains an imprint of time and place, a reminder that refuses to fade.

Years later, I returned to my archive and selected both well-known images and photographs newly rediscovered. With the distance of a quarter of a century, it is almost unbelievable what an extraordinary time I had the privilege to live through and photograph — a time of hope, of positive energy. I spent a part of my life alongside an exceptional human being, Václav Havel. This book is a testimony to that era, to him, to me — and to all of us.

I hope it brings you joy and stirs emotion.

The book was published in October 2016, on the occasion of what would have been Václav Havel’s 80th birthday and the fifth anniversary of his passing.

Book Specifications

• 288 pages of photographs – a unique book seen through the eyes of the president’s personal photographer

• Printed on Swedish Arctic Ivory paper, 150 g

• Texts by Daniel Anýž and Petr Třešňák

• Design by Jan Zachariáš / Atelijeur Půda

• Available in Czech or English

• Size / weight: 240 × 280 mm

• ISBN: 978-80-260-9632-0

For the record:

• Selected from 67,622 frames of 35mm film

• Includes previously unpublished photographs

• As well as iconic images such as:

  • Václav Havel struck by a tidal wave on the Atlantic coast (World Press Photo Award, 1991)

  • His first meeting with The Rolling Stones

  • The legendary speech before the U.S. Congress

  • Václav Havel walking away along a sandy beach in Portugal

More information about the book:
👉 https://www.knihahavel.cz/

📌 The book can be ordered exclusively through my e-shop
📦 Delivery to a pickup point is included in the price

17 × 17 Edition – Specifications

The 17 × 17 Edition is a collection of photographs presented in a clean, minimalist concept — offered as compact, affordable art objects.

Photographs from the 17 × 17 Edition are framed in a solid natural oak wooden frame with a 1 cm profile.

• Image size: 17 × 11 cm

• Overall frame size: 26 × 26 cm

• Mounted in a white mat with a beveled cut

Some photographs are adjusted in frames with a 3 cm depth, creating the impression that the image is “floating” in space (see photos).
The glass is museum-grade with UV protection.

Each photograph is signed on the back, accompanied by a label stating the place and date of origin. The author’s signature on the reverse remains visible even when framed.

Print Quality & Care

As the author, I strive not only to offer a strong visual experience, but also the highest possible technical and archival quality, meeting gallery-level standards.

Photographs are printed on archival papers by Hahnemühle (Germany) or Canson (France), meeting the strictest requirements for longevity and preservation. All materials are archival and pH-neutral.

When displaying photographs, I recommend following standard practices for fine art:
avoid direct sunlight, humidity, high temperatures, and chemically aggressive environments.

Usage Rights

Photographs are intended for personal use only, for display in private homes or other private spaces.
Any other form of use — including public display, institutional use, online publication, print/media reproduction, or any other use — is permitted only with the written consent of the author.