Jakub Špaňhel

Jakub Špaňhel (1976) is a prominent member of the middle generation of painters who has long enjoyed interest on the part of galleries and collectors. He is a graduate of the Academy of Fine Arts in Prague, where he studied under Milan Knížák and Jiří David. During his studies, he was a member of the Luxsus art group and was already reaping various accolades for his painting. His work is characterized by an expressive painting style that blurs shapes and motifs to the point of abstraction. To this gesture painting, he nevertheless frequently adds detailed and meticulously elaborated elements to produce a distinctive contrast. He experiments with various media, working with acrylics, oils, spray paint, collage, and drawing. In terms of subject matter, he draws on his personal experience, in particular that Italian center of art, Venice, to which he feels a close affinity. But he also paints still- lifes, landscapes, and both sacred and profane spaces. He is also fascinated by butterflies. The ephemeral character of his paintings is accompanied by recollections of the depicted motifs. Many of his works start out as visual snapshots that he subsequently transfers onto the canvas in the spirit of an impressionist reproduction of an impression. Špaňhel’s work is represented in numerous private and public collections in the Czech Republic and abroad. His paintings can be found, among other places, at the National Gallery Prague and Prague City Gallery. He regularly shows his work at important domestic exhibitions, including Paintings 1648–2016 at the Václav Špála Gallery (2016), a solo exhibition at Brno’s Adam Gallery (2014), and the recent Venesia project at the Trafo Gallery in Prague (2024–2025).