Miroslav Tichý, the Homeless Artist Who Captivated Harald Szeemann, Gets First Bari Show

Galleria Doppelgaenger in Bari opens an exhibition dedicated to Miroslav Tichý (1926–2011), the Czech photographer who lived as a homeless recluse. The show, running from December 16, 2017, features 23 works and a video interview by Swiss artist-psychiatrist Roman Buxbaum, who was for years the only person with access to Tichý's oeuvre. Tichý built his own cameras from scrap materials and took furtive photographs between 1960 and 1985, capturing women at a distance, evoking a sense of alienation. A graduate of the Academy of Fine Arts in Prague, he was persecuted by the communist regime, imprisoned, and institutionalized. Buxbaum discovered his work in the late 1980s and introduced it to Harald Szeemann, who included Tichý in the 2004 Seville Biennial. Subsequent exhibitions were held at Kunsthaus Zürich (2005), Centre Pompidou (2008), and International Center of Photography, New York (2010). Quentin Bajac, curator of the Pompidou show, described Tichý's output as a compendium of photographic art from its origins to the digital age. The artist never attended any of his exhibitions nor accepted money from photo sales. His work is now supported by the Tichý Ocean Foundation in Prague. The Bari exhibition marks the first time his work is shown in a private gallery in the city.