Kotalík was born on February 14, 1951. His father was Jiří Kotalík, an art historian, a member of Group 42 and an expert on modern art, who was the director of the National Gallery in Prague from 1967 to 1990. He inherited from him at an early age an interest in the history of fine arts.
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He studied art history and history at the Jan Evangelista Purkyně University in Brno and art history at the Faculty of Arts of Charles University in Prague, then worked at the Prague Center for State Monument Care and Nature Protection. He began lecturing externally at the School of Architecture of the Academy of Fine Arts after 1980, and from 1 January 1984 he was an assistant professor at the Department of Art History.
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In addition to teaching the history of art and architecture at the Academy of Fine Arts, he drew attention to himself as a curator and organizer of various cultural enterprises already at the time of normalization. In 1981 he helped organize the legendary exhibition Malostranské dvorky. At that time, young artists installed their works directly in the courtyards of the Lesser Town. The ideologically unencumbered playful conception of the event aroused unprecedented public interest at the time.
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He saved a kiosk near Central Station
At the same time, Kotalík worked to save the Cubist kiosk in Vrchlický sady near Prague’s Central Station. The small building, probably designed by Pavel Janák, was destined for demolition in 1980. Kotalík not only helped to save the building administratively, but also renovated it with a group of friends.
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After 1989, Jiří T. Kotalík became fully involved in organizing cultural life. He was a member of the Scientific Council of the National Monuments Institute (NPÚ), the Council of the Minister of Culture for Science and Development, the Executive Committee of the ICOMOS National Committee and many others.
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In the 1990s, he helped re-establish the Mánes Association of Fine Artists and repeatedly chaired it. He became one of the curators of the extensive Ten Centuries of Architecture project. In 2003 and 2004, he was the director of the NPÚ. Together with the architect David Vávra, he published the successful books Paintings from the History of Czech Architecture (2003) and Tiny Pearls of Czech Architecture (2012).
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Kotalík’s enthusiasm for architecture was evidenced by his guided tours or excursions, which were famous and unforgettable for their participants. In 2018, Kotalík received the Josef Hlávka Medal for his life’s work and dissemination of the good name of Czech science.
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Dear Representatives of this published announcement. I have acquired three pieces of art that appear to be with drypoint. They are labeled with artist last name Kotalik, dated 1981. Do you think Jiri Kotalik as a historian and professor of art, also produced works of art? Curious to find out the origins of these works I have acquired. Thank you kindy!