Vaclav Vytlacil—or “Vyt” to his intimate circle—is remembered for his pioneering style inspired by European Modernism, and for championing American abstraction. Among these, his most famous are those that combine a Cubist sense of space with Expressionistic palettes and brushwork. In the 1920s, Vytlacil travelled to Europe to study the work of Paul Cézanne, which would become an enduring influence on his work. There, he also studied with Hans Hofmann, though he ultimately embraced representational imagery. Upon returning to the United States in the 1930s, Vytlacil made a brief series of three-dimensional constructions. He was also an active and venerated teacher, with notable pupils including Louise Bourgeois, Robert Rauschenberg, James Rosenquist, Cy Twombly, and Tony Smith.
Vaclav Vytlacil—or “Vyt” to his intimate circle—is remembered for his pioneering style inspired by European Modernism, and for championing American abstraction. Among these, his most famous are those that combine a Cubist sense of space with Expressionistic palettes and brushwork. In the 1920s, Vytlacil travelled to Europe to study the work of Paul Cézanne, which would become an enduring influence on his work. There, he also studied with Hans Hofmann, though he ultimately embraced representational imagery. Upon returning to the United States in the 1930s, Vytlacil made a brief series of three-dimensional constructions. He was also an active and venerated teacher, with notable pupils including Louise Bourgeois, Robert Rauschenberg, James Rosenquist, Cy Twombly, and Tony Smith.