Ondřej Sekora was one of the outstanding personalities of the Czechoslovak cultural scene in the 20th century, and even today, he is known for his books for children. The scope of his creative activities, however, went far beyond children’s literature and remains impressive even 125 years
after his birth. Sekora began his career as a journalist for the Lidové noviny, writing sports reports, and drawing caricatures, cartoons, comic series and illustrations. His enthusiasm for sports led him to become a ski instructor in the Alps and a promoter of rugby in Czechoslovakia.
His love of art brought him to painting, and the most interesting part of his work in this area was inspired by Henri Rousseau. Sekora’s interest in nature prompted him not only to create Ferdinand the Ant (also Ferdy the Ant) and many more characters, but also to build a collection of insects. His penchant for pictorial storytelling is the reason he is seen today as one of the founding figures of Czech comics. The success of Ferdinand the Ant books enabled Sekora to work with theatre, radio, film and television. Sekora’s versatility, however, had one paradoxical consequence: it has always made it somewhat difficult to appreciate his work fully. His ability to combine text and pictures into one organic whole meant that he was perceived as rather an intruder in every artistic discipline – as a writing artist among literati, and as a drawing writer among artists. The aim of the current exhibition is to showcase Sekora’s familiar work and to remind us of his art that remains known only to experts, presenting his creativity in all its variety.
Ondřej Sekora (1899–1967) was born in Brno. In 1921, he joined the Lidové noviny. In 1920s, he completed two long-term working stays in Paris, which had a significant influence on his subsequent work. In 1933, he published the first part of a comic strip series featuring Ferdinand
the Ant (also Ferdy the Ant) in the Lidové noviny. In 1941, he was fired from the Lidové noviny because of his wife’s Jewish origin, and he spent the end of WWII in the Klein Stein and Osterode labour camps. After the liberation of Czechoslovakia, he first worked in the editorial office
of the Práce daily and the satirical weekly Dikobraz. From 1952 onwards, he devoted himself exclusively to writing and illustrating children’s books.
