Martin Krajc

Martin Krajc (1984), a graduate of Michael Rittstein’s painting studio at Prague’s Academy of Fine Arts, combines a penchant for street art with his experience from a study exchange in Madrid that significantly influenced the direction he has taken. His exposure to the old masters of Spanish painting, to the magic of bullfights, and to Spanish culture in general have inspired a creative playfulness and a relaxed and emotionally dynamic style. The basic layers of his painting approach are the line, glaze, detail, gesture, and pouring. In terms of genre, his paintings mix architecture, portraiture, and the still-life. Additional sources of inspiration include film and fashion photography. Besides animals (bulls, dogs), he often paints the interiors of well-known modernist buildings, with an emphasis on the details of their iconic design. But the main focus of his attention is the female figure. Krajc’s synthesis of architectural and figural sources of inspiration forms a kind of mental collage that emerges from the world of his consciousness. In 2007, he took first prize at the SEAT Arte Emoción art competition in Prague. Martin Krajc regularly exhibits at leading Czech galleries and institutions such as the Aleš South Bohemian Gallery (2019) and the Václav Špála Gallery (2015). His most recent successful undertaking was the solo exhibition Temptations at Villa Pellé (2024–2025).