Ivan Pavle


Ivan Pavle is a Slovak painter with a distinct style focusing on the human form. He combines classical painting with the results of experimental painting to play with sensory perception.

Life

Pavle was born in Galanta, Slovakia to Matej Pavle and Alžbeta Pavleová. He grew up in Prievidza with two brothers, Matej and Slavomír. He completed primary school in Prievidza in 1970. After attending high school in Tvrdošín, Pavle studied engineering before graduating and going on to study fine art at the Academy of Fine Arts in Bratislava under professors Dezider Castiglione and Ivan Vychlopen. He graduated in 1981 and married his Fine Arts classmate, Soňa Oravcová. They have two children. Since then, Pavle has pursued an artistic career focused on painting, drawing, graphics, and sculpture.

Style and methods

Pavle's art is characterized by figurative painting, nudes, torsos, and faces covered by masks. The representation of the human body is further reinforced by emphasising the gestures, body shapes in motion, and relationship studies of two and more characters.
Another major and recurring theme in Pavle’s work is mythology, which is demonstrated in an ongoing cycle of paintings about Babylon, as well as in other art pieces showing fictitious landscapes and mysterious characters with animal features.
His work has been noted for its intensity and distinctive style. Pavle employs older techniques in combination with his own specific artistic processes. His work combines tradition and respect for the material while focusing on contemporary content.

Monograph

In 2015, the Slovak publisher Herial published Pavle, a Slovak-English monograph on Pavle written by fine art theorist Ivan Jančár. In this book, Jančár writes about Pavle's work:

Exhibitions and awards

Pavle‘s works have been exhibited in Slovak and foreign galleries in Poland, Germany, Netherlands, Austria, France, Monaco, Italy, Thailand, and the USA.
Pavle attended numerous creative workshops, mainly in the United States and France, where he was awarded the Jury Prize at the International Festival of Painting in Cagnes sur Mer in 1989. His works are represented in galleries and private collections around the world:
  • 1985 Turčianske múzeum A. Kmeťa, Martin
  • 1986 Finkova kúria, Zvolen,
  • 1987
  • * Československé kultúrne stredisko, Katowice,
  • * Chelm, Varšava
  • * Výstavná sieň mladých, Bratislava
  • 1988
  • * Galéria L. Novomeského, Bratislava
  • * Galéria F. Studeného, Nitra
  • 1989 Galéria C. Majerníka, Bratislava
  • 1990 Galéria mesta Bratislavy, Bratislava
  • 1991
  • * Galéria Štúdia S, Bratislava
  • * Galerie Atelierhof, Brémy
  • * Nassauische Sparkasse Montabaur
  • * Galerie de Gang, Delft
  • * Gallery Art Fonctionel, Metz
  • * Siemens Nixdorf
  • * Kolín nad Rýnom
  • 1992
  • * Dom slovenskej kultúry, Praha
  • * Galéria NOVA, Bratislava
  • * Europahaus, Graz
  • * Galéria M. A. Bazovského, Trenčín
  • 1993
  • * Galerie Mitte, Vienna
  • * Terre ou Art, Verdun
  • * Studio Bauform, Kolín nad Rýnom
  • * Veľvyslanectvo Slovenskej republiky, Bonn
  • 1994
  • * Žltý dom Vincenta van Gogha, Poprad
  • * Art Gallery Heeze, Eidhoven
  • * De Brouwerij, Weelde
  • 1995
  • * Galéria mesta Bratislavy, Bratislava
  • * Galéria NOVA, Bratislava
  • * Kunst RAI’95, Amsterdam
  • 1996 Rezidencia Slovenskej republiky, New York
  • 1997 Gallery MOCA, Washington
  • 1999 Galéria NOVA, Bratislava
  • 2001 Gallery Missing Link, Sarasota, Florida
  • 2004
  • * Cité internationale des arts in Paris
  • * Galéria NOVA, Bratislava
  • 2005 Danubiana, Meulensteen Art Museum, Bratislava
  • 2008 Slovenská ambasáda,, Roma
  • 2009 Herzliya,
  • 2011
  • * 15 umelcov v Galérii SPP, Bratislava
  • * Slovak art for Slovak culture evening in Monaco
  • 2012
  • * Spectrum Art v Galérii SPP, Bratislava
  • * Private studio exhibition, Tribecca - New York
  • 2013 Galéria Jána Koniarika v Trnave
  • 2014 Umenie lieči, NOÚ Bratislava
  • 2015 Crystal Wing Awards, Visual Arts

    Virtual tours

Pavle often makes virtual tours of his exhibitions with the stated goal of making them "immortal". The links for two of them may be found below.

Books about author

  • Daniel Hevier – Ivan Pavle: Publishing house, Galéria NOVA, 2005
  • Ivan Jančár - Pavle: Publishing house, Herial, s.r.o.