František Kupka was born as the eldest of five children in the family of a notary clerk in Opočno. He spent his youth in Dobruška under the Orlické Mountains, where he learned the saddlery trade, but even then he was already painting signboards and pictures of saints. He showed great talent as a painter, and therefore, on the intercession of a family friend, he was not forced to pursue his craft and was sent first to the craftsmen's school in Jaroměř (1886) and then to the Prague Academy (1887). There he studied in the studio for historical and religious painting as a pupil of Professor František Sequens until his graduation in 1892, when he left for Vienna. He remained at the Academy in Vienna until 1895, when he was sent as a scholarship student to Paris, where he travelled by a circuitous route through northern Europe. While studying at the École des beaux-arts (School of Fine Arts), he made a living painting posters, teaching religion, and even acting as a spiritualist medium (it is not without interest that Kupka was a fan of theosophy, Eastern philosophies, and mysticism in general).
Around 1903 he first became internationally famous with the publication of satirical drawings in the Parisian magazine L'Assiette au Beurre, to which he contributed in 1901-1907 and also produced three separate issues - albums Money (French Argent), Religion a Peace. In 1914 he volunteered for the front as a member of Nazdar Company, and was wounded in the Battle of the Aisne River. He was decorated with the Order of the Legion of Honour and for his services in the army he was awarded the rank of captain. He helped to organize the Czechoslovak Legion in France, and after his return to Paris he founded the so-called Czech Colony, of which he was later elected chairman.
After the war he was appointed professor at the Prague Academy, where he also lectured in 1920. He continued his lecturing activities later in Paris, where he taught Czechoslovak scholarship students. Between 1919 and 1938 František Kupka was supported by his friend Jindřich Waldes, a successful Prague businessman who bought his paintings.
During his lifetime Kupka held many exhibitions and won many awards for his works. He spent most of his life in the Parisian suburb of Puteaux, where he died on 24 June 1957. He is buried in Paris at the Père-Lachaise Cemetery, in the columbarium, section 87, box no. 22696.
Jana Cerna
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