Miroslav Cipár (in memoriam)

Miroslav Cipár was a graphic designer, typographer, illustrator, painter, sculptor and civic activist. He was born in 1935 in the village of Semeteš. He witnessed the Second World War and a tragedy in which Vlasov soldiers shot 21 men in the village. Among them was Miroslav’s father, who, however, survived a gunshot wound through the head. After the communist coup of 1948, the Cipár family’s house and shop were confiscated, as they were deemed enemies of the nation.

He studied Slovak language and art education at the Faculty of Education of Comenius University in Bratislava. He later studied graphic art and monumental painting at the Academy of Fine Arts and Design in Bratislava. After completing compulsory military service, he worked in Bratislava as a freelance artist. In 1971–1972 he worked in India, in 1985 he led a workshop for illustrators in Sri Lanka, and in 1987 he received a fellowship in the United States of America. He was involved in founding several cultural projects, such as the Biennial of Illustration Bratislava, the Triennial of Naïve Art and the Danuvius Biennial.

On 19 November 1989, Slovak artists met in his studio and drew up the first revolutionary declaration. He became one of the founders of the Public Against Violence movement and worked in the VPN coordination centre. After the first free elections in June 1990 he ceased to be directly involved in VPN, turned down all offers of academic promotion from the Academy of Fine Arts and Design, and once again worked as a freelance artist. The scope of his artistic work is very broad. He illustrated and designed covers for hundreds of books, drew for children’s magazines, designed posters and is the most successful Slovak designer of logos and emblems.