About Vojen Wilhelm Cech-Colini

The painter Colini (Vojen Wilhelm Cech) was born in 1924, in Kolin Czechoslovakia, now a part of the Czech Republic. During his high school years, just prior to the start of WWII, the Surrealists were at the peak of their influence in Central Europe. As part of regular visits to Prague, the young man would view Surrealist works in the art galleries. He was so impressed it became his lifelong ambition to become a great painter.

As he matured, Colini became fascinated with Italian art of the Renaissance Era and decided to paint only in Egg Tempera. He began to find ways to improve Surrealist practice by overlaying a Renaissance flavor. Through his experimentation, a unique artistic style emerged

When the Communists took over Central Europe after WWII, Colini lived in Switzerland and then France but he was forced to leave for Venezuela because he had no papers. He became a citizen of Venezuela and then immigrated to Canada, where he had his first exhibition in Toronto, Ontario. He later moved to the United States, living in the New York area for many years, returning to Europe each year to study art and exhibit in Switzerland and Germany. In his final years, he and his wife Margaret Cech lived in Pennsylvania.

During his lifelong journey as an artist, Colini was exposed to many cultures and languages, which is why his paintings contained such rich and varied symbolism. He brought to visual art, what Umberto Eco brought to literature. A wealth of knowledge tempered with a penchant for humor and irony.

Colini died in 2010 in Scranton, Pennsylvania.