CABINET OF LIFE THE PRIVATE COLLECTION OF OLDŘICH UTTENDORFSKÝ

When looking at Oldřich Uttendorfský’s collection, the phrase cabinet of curiosities inevitably comes to mind. Since the Renaissance, this term has been used to describe eclectic collections comprising not only works of art but also other treasures, historical and ethnographic artifacts, and specimens from the natural world. The collector places artworks and objects side by side, searching for unexpected connections. Thus, an ancient Egyptian cat mummy may be found next to a painting by Vladimír Véla, while an object by Barbora Blahutová might be joined by, say, a cow ́s scapula. For Uttendorfský, neither the price tag nor whether something qualifies as art is of primary importance. Everything possesses its own intrinsic value and aesthetic quality. As a former obstetrician, Oldřich Uttendorfský also has a gift for discovering reflections on life—and its finitude—in the items in his collection.