(* 4. 9. 1934, Prague, CZ) Czech film director, animator and artist, leading figure of late Czech Surrealism. Jan Švankmajer studied at the College of Applied Arts in Prague and later in the Department of Puppetry at the Prague Academy of Performing Arts. He entered the field of the film in the 1960s and received international attention in 1983 for screening of his films from the 1960s at the International Film Festival FIFA. His creation in other artistic field follows film production, for example the series of graphic sheets called Švankmajersbilderlexikon. From the beginning of the seventies, Švankmajer's creative development had cyclically completed the initial movement. He became a member of the Surrealist Group in Czechoslovakia.
As an author and collector he is inspired by Rudolfinum collections and works by Renaissance and medieval alchemists. Švankmajer creates a series of his own graphics, that follows Arcimboldo´s style.
