Michael W. Pospíšil was born in 1955 as a Czech and later also accepted French citizenship.

As a child he acted in multiple important czech films, such as in Vojtěch Jasný’s When the Tomcat Comes and in Karel Zeman’s The Stolen Airship.

After graduating from the prestigious Film Academy of Performing Arts (FAMU) in 1980 he moved to France to live with his french wife Marie-Paule.

There he worked as a director, producer, scriptwriter, editor and director of photography for french TV stations, various large companies and state offices. In 2000 he began his career in cultural diplomacy when he became the director of the Czech Center in Paris (2000 – 2007 and 2011 – 2016) and in Sofia (2007 – 2009) and later became the general director of the Czech Centre network (2009 – 2011). In 2005 he was awarded The French Order of Arts and Letters.

In 2016 Michael W. Pospíšil returns to Prague – in total he lived 31 years in France and 31 years in the Czech republic.

Photography has been his passion since early childhood. After multiple exhibitions in France and Czech republic, this year marks his first photography monograph Paris, Prague, etc… published by KANT. It is a selection of images from the last seven years, predominantly from Paris and Prague, but also from other cities and countries.

The exhibition Paris, etc… shows a collection of photographs from Paris. Simultaneously the French institute in Prague is exhibiting a collection of photographs titled Prague, etc… (from May 19^th till July 4^th 2020).

This autumn Michael W. Pospíšil will introduce a large exhibition Paris, Prague, etc… in the   G 4 gallery in Cheb.

Michael sees more than most people. His photographs of the city’s hidden corners, patterns on flaking walls, fleeting encounters in bars and cafés, multiple street scenes reflected in windows, or seemingly ordinary objects and things that we pass without noticing possess not only unquestioned artistic value, but also provide the viewer with room for personal interpretation. Although Pospíšil does not deny his education as a documentary filmmaker nor his experience with humanist photojournalism, some of his images are quite abstract. Pospíšil’s photographs can also be described as distinctive journal entries through which he has found a way of sharing his worldly experiences. This unique book of distinctive color and black-and-white photographs also features an interview with their equally remarkable and distinctive creator.  

(Prof. Vladimír Birgus)