Richard Štipl

Richard Štipl (1968) is a leading Czech sculptor, painter, and visual artist. Born in Šternberk, Czechoslovakia, he mostly grew up in Canada where he emigrated with his parents in 1979. It was in Toronto, Canada that he studied painting at Ontario College of Art (1988–1993) and won the Governor General’s Gold Medal for best class work. In the early 1990s, he returned to his native town of Šternberk, Czech Republic.

He lectured at the Academy of Arts, Architecture, and Design in Prague (2010) and New York Academy of Art (2011) and worked as assistant professor at the Academy of Arts, Architecture, and Design until 2017. His work pivots around ancient techniques with postmodern symbols, self-reflection with self-harm, and extremely distorted facial expressions. Štipl’s sculptures render complicated situations contrasting various beliefs.