Roman Karpaš – Between Drawing and Graphic Art

Roman Karpaš – graphic designer, historian, typographer, publisher, photographer, curator, artist, and educator – was born on 30 October 1951 in Liberec and has worked there throughout his professional life. The North Bohemian Museum (MUZA) presents a comprehensive retrospective of his lifetime work, opened with a vernissage on 19 March 2026. Visitors can trace the development of Karpaš's artistic practice from its realist beginnings, when he captured the atmosphere of the Jizera Mountains, through the "Cages" cycle exploring confined space, to his current large-scale charcoal drawings visualizing flowing energy and force fields. The exhibition includes graphic works, drawings, and book illustrations – Karpaš has illustrated eight books in total, including "Rádl's Nephew", "Faust Flies to a New World", and "A Year in the Jizera Mountains". The works are unified by a dominant black colour and special recycled paper, originally used under linoleum, on which charcoal holds exceptionally well. His publishing activities are also featured: since 2001 he has run his own publishing house, Roman Karpaš RK, which has published the comprehensive "Book of Liberec" (1996, 3rd edition 2022) and an extensive edition on the Jizera Mountains. The exhibition is curated by Luděk Lukůvka. The accompanying programme includes guided tours with commentary (for example on 22 April and 15 May 2026 at 6 p.m.) and craft workshops led by the artist himself.