Kirill Postovit

Kirill Postovit is a Czech academic painter, sculptor, and graphic artist, of Israeli-Ukrainian origin who creates mainly in the style of surrealism and symbolism. He was born on June 24, 1964, and graduated from several art academies, with honors, in 1990.

Kirill Postovit is mainly known for his sculptural memorials, and surrealism/modernism paintings. Kirill Postovit's artworks are represented in more than 70 countries, in galleries, museums, collection funds, and private collections. The work of Kirill Postovit is presented in the Katie Feygie Art Gallery (a gallery of modern and contemporary art in Prague), which represents the artist worldwide. In the fall of 2022, the gallery is planning the author's next personal exhibition, the introductory text to the exhibition catalog was undertaken by PhDr. Jan Štíbr, art historian. In total Kirill Postovit's artworks were shown in more than 260 exhibitions & art presentations worldwide. Several leading and world-known art historians and art critics have named him as one of the most significant artists of our days, and they often compare his artworks with Marc Chagall.

In the years 1990–1992, a number of personal exhibitions took place in Kyiv and Lviv, works from which were also purchased by the Soros Foundation / Open Society Foundation (USA). From 1991-1992, the author was entrusted with the creation of wall frescoes on the vaults of the Vladimir Cathedral in the city of Kyiv. This cathedral is a monument of neo-Byzantine architecture, located in the very center of the city, and is the main temple of the Kyiv Metropolitan See. Frescoes for this cathedral were previously created by world-renowned artists Mikhail Vrubel and Viktor Vasnetsov. In the years 1992–1995, he mainly participated in international sculpture symposiums. The sculptures created during them are, among others, located in France, and Belgium. At the end of 1994, he realized a monument dedicated to the fate of the Volyn Czechs, which is located in Ukraine to this day.

In 1995, Kirill Postovit was invited to the Republic of Moldova to create wall frescoes in a 17th century monastery, where he spent almost a year. At the same time, drawings and graphics with biblical themes were created, which subsequently often appear in the author's work. 

In 1996 Kirill Postovit mainly participated in sculptural symposiums in the Czech Republic. The author's personal exhibition was also held under the auspices of Jan Grim (then chairman of the cultural commission of the city of Litoměřice and an academic painter). In 1996-1997, an interview with the art historian and art critic Alexander Jevangeli was published for the yearbook "Visual Art and Eastern European Context" (Prague and Paris).

In 1997, the artist was invited to Israel for work. In Israel, he collaborated with the Sary Kishon gallery over the course of three years. During that time, several solo exhibitions of the author took place, and he also participates in the contemporary art exhibition of the Museum of Modern Art in Tel-Aviv. This exhibition brought success and recognition, and Kirill Postovit, after its completion, was included in the list of academic artists of Israel, maintained by the State Museum of Art in Jerusalem, and invited to the Association of Artists of Israel. In the same year, the writer Ephraim Kishon (Nobel Prize laureate) bought several drawings and sculptures for his private collection, shortly after that several paintings found themselves in the private collection of Tommy Lapid (Member of the Knesset of Israel). In 2000, the author created the "Family" monument dedicated to the memory of families and victims of terrorist acts. This statue is located in a district of the city of Haifa. In the same year, a personal exhibition took place at the Czech Embassy in Tel-Aviv. After the exhibition, several works were purchased for the public spaces of the embassy residence and for the private collection of Daniel Kumerman (ambassador of the Czech Republic in Israel), several works were donated by the author to the embassy.

In 2001, Kirill Postovit permanently returned to the Czech Republic, where he lives and works to this day. In the same year, he participated in the international exhibition Salon International D'Art in Belgium, where three of the bronze sculptures were nominated for an international art premium. In 2002, the author's first personal exhibition was held in the Jerusalem Synagogue in Prague. This exhibition was opened by the well-known Czech contemporary art critic, art historian, and curator  of exhibitions at the Jewish Museum in Prague PhDr. Arno Pařík. In 2004, the Terezín National Memorial organized the author's personal exhibition "Kirill Postovit - Sculptures and Drawings". In the same year, he created a memorial plaque to Antonín Zimmer (a member of the 311th Bombardment Squadron), the memorial plaque is located in Třebenice, where the pilot was born, and his opening was often mentioned in media. A little later, the interview "The artist lives in Medvědice" was published in Litoměřické Deník.

In 2005, Kirill Postovit was approached by the city management of Roztoky near Prague to design a monument for the Jewish citizens of Roztoky near Prague, and the author's monument proposal was successfully accepted. In the same year, this monument was realized, placed, and ceremonially opened in the square in front of the city hall. In 2007 Kirill Postovit won a tender to create a sculpture based on a historical model at the New Jewish Cemetery in Olšany (Prague), which is protected as a cultural monument. 

From 2006 to 2008, the author worked on a large memorial dedicated to the victims of the ghetto in Terezín. In 2008, this memorial under the name "Prayer" was placed on the bank of the Ohře river in the place where the ashes of the murdered Czech Jews were thrown into the river. This memorial became a mournful dominant of the memorial square. Every year, the Kever Avot is held here to honor the Jewish victims of the Nazi genocide in the Czech lands. The management of the Terezín Memorial, representatives of the government and ministries of the Czech Republic and abroad, as well as cultural and spiritual personalities, participate in these memorial days. This memorial was ceremoniously unveiled by the former director of the Terezín National Memorial, PhDr. Jan Munk and chief regional rabbi Karol Efraim Sidon. This sculptural monument is included in the list of the main cultural monuments of the Terezín ghetto and northern Bohemia. The unveiling of the sculptural monument "Prayer" was mentioned in many printed editions in the Czech Republic and abroad, including Roš chodeš (Jewish community in Prague) and Deník Litoměřice. From 2008 to 2011, he devoted himself to his work, which he successfully presented at a number of exhibitions in the Czech Republic and abroad.

In 2009, he participated in the Art Talk exhibition "Eternal Transience", under the auspices of the North Bohemian Gallery of Fine Arts in Litoměřice, which was opened by PhDr. Jan Štíbr. In the same year, he was invited for an interview on Czech Radio Vltava, where they discussed the role of culture in contemporary society. In 2011, he created a smaller sculptural memorial "Lovers", which was unveiled in the city of Zvolen in Slovakia and at the same time at the Zvolen Castle, a personal exhibition of the artist took place under the auspices of the Rotary Club. In the same year, the Česká Lípa city management approached the author about creating an author's design for the sculpture. This artistic study was later bought by the city council. 

In the years 2011-2013, the artist continues his exhibition activities. In 2016, he created the "Vrba Wetzler Memorial" commemorative medal for the International Christian Embassy in Jerusalem (ICEJ). This medal is part of the annual march to honor the memory of Rudolf Vrba and Alfréd Wetzler, organized by ICEJ CR and ICEJ SK. The artist also worked on the sculpture "Agla" for the Terezín National Monument, which was unveiled in 2018 and became part of the former Magdeburg Barracks. To date, there are six works created by the author in the collection of the Terezín National Memorial. Among them, there is also the sculpture "Schoulena", which is permanently located in the meeting room in the Manor house, or a sculptural portrait of Franz Kafka (collection fund).

In 2018, the author donated his drawing "Moaning about Life" to the Museum of Roman Culture in Brno. In 2019, the artist's jubilee exhibition The Edges Of Art was held in Prague, at which, among other artworks, works on loan from the world's collection funds and museums were presented. Many art historians and heads of world museums and art centers participated in the exhibition. Professor David Lomas (University of Manchester) wrote the introductory text to the exhibition and jubilee catalog The Edges Of Art. In August 2021, an interview was published in Reportér Magazine, "My home will be forever in Prague", this interview was mainly about the author's relationship with Prague.