Boris Jirků

Boris Jirků was born on 10 April 1955 in Zlín, Czech Republic. After graduating from the Secondary School of Applied Arts in Uherské Hradiště, he continued his studies at the Academy of Fine Arts in Prague under Professor Karel Paderlík.

For seventeen years, he taught figurative drawing and painting at the Academy of Arts, Architecture and Design in Prague (UMPRUM), where he also served as Rector. He was likewise a guarantor and lecturer at the Academy of Arts in Banská Bystrica, Slovakia. In later years, he taught at the University of West Bohemia in Plzeň.

Jirků was a remarkably versatile artist whose work encompassed painting, printmaking, drawing, illustration and sculpture. Throughout his career, he illustrated forty-three books, including celebrated editions of One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel García Márquez, The Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov, and Tales of Italy and other literary works. His illustrations earned him several awards in the prestigious Czech competition for the Most Beautiful Book of the Year.

He was the founder and organiser of Figurama, an international exhibition project presenting figurative drawing by students and educators from leading European art universities.

In cooperation with Galerie La Femme, he participated in numerous international artistic residencies and creative stays, including projects in Ecuador, Brazil, Canada, Brittany, Sicily and Andalusia.

The majority of his work was figurative in nature, distinguished by expressive forms and a rich, vibrant colour palette. He is widely regarded as one of the most significant Czech visual artists of his generation.

Boris Jirků lived and worked between Prague and the Moravian village of Bečva, maintaining an exceptionally active artistic life until the end of his career.

He passed away on 25 January 2026, leaving behind an extraordinary artistic legacy that continues to inspire audiences, students and fellow artists across Europe.