Jan Sovák
Jan Sovák (13 February 1953 – 14 April 2025) was a Czech paleoartist and painter. He illustrated more than 300 books and created many paintings for scientists including paleontologist Phil Currie and dinosaur writer Don "Dino" Lessem. His sculptures and paintings are prominently featured at the Natural History Museum in Prague.
Also recorded as Jan Sovak
Jan Sovák
- Name
- Jan Sovák
- Born
- 13 February 1953
- Birthplace
- Tábor, Czechoslovakia
- Died
- 14 April 2025
- Known for
- Paleoart
- Occupation
- Artist
- Nationality
- Czechoslovakia · Canada
- Fields
- painting
- Languages
- Czech · Canadian English · English
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Documentary summary
Jan Sovák (13 February 1953 – 14 April 2025) was a Czech paleoartist and painter. He illustrated more than 300 books and created many paintings for scientists including paleontologist Phil Currie and dinosaur writer Don "Dino" Lessem. His sculptures and paintings are prominently featured at the Natural History Museum in Prague.
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Documentary evidence
Documentary basis
Authority files
wikidata · Q6149962 · wikipedia · Jan Sovák
In this article
Biography
Biography
Many of his paintings depict dinosaurs and other prehistoric life.
Key facts
Key facts
• Name — Jan Sovák • Born — 13 February 1953 • Birthplace — Tábor, Czechoslovakia • Died — 14 April 2025 • Known for — Paleoart • Occupation — Artist • Website — https: www.jansovakart.com/en/
Life and career
Life and career
Sovák was born in Tábor in the former Czechoslovakia, and was inspired from an early age by the Czech palaeoartist Zdeněk Burian. He moved to Canada in 1982, returning to live in the Czech Republic in 2017 and was living in Příbram at the time of his death. His work has been published in publications written in more than fifteen languages. More than forty museums around the world house examples of his art on prehistoric animals, and his illustrations have also appeared on educational television, including in twelve films on the Discovery Channel. During his paleoart career, he collaborated also with numerous Czech paleontologists and writers, such as Zdeněk Špinar and Vladimír Socha.
Death
Death
Sovák died on 14 April 2025, at the age of 72.
Identity
Identity
Jan Sovák is recorded with the occupation illustrator. Recorded as a citizen of Czechoslovakia. Recorded with the occupation painter. Classed in the genre paleoart.
Life and career
Dated record
Life and career
The full dated record · 2 entries
1953
Jan Sovák was born on 13 February 1953.
2025
Jan Sovák died on 14 April 2025.
Places
Named by the record
Places
Only places the record itself states, plotted where the house gazetteer settles their coordinates. Nothing is inferred from a name or a nationality.
Jan Sovák was born at Tábor.
Birthplace
Tábor.
Birth place
Illustrations
Sovák created illustrations for other people's books, such as: • The flying dinosaurs: the illustrated guide to the evolution of flight by Philip J. Currie (1991), published by Red Deer Press. • Great Dinosaurs: From Triassic Through Jurassic to Cretaceous by Philip J. Currie and V.Z. Spinar (1994), published by Borders Press. • The Newest and Coolest Dinosaurs by Philip J. Currie and C.O. Mastin (1998), published by Grasshopper Books. • A Moment in Time with Troodon by Philip J. Currie and E.P. Felber (2001), published by Fitzhenry & Whiteside. • A Moment in Time with Sinosauropteryx by Philip J. Currie and E.B. Koppelhus (2001), published by Fitzhenry & Whiteside. • A Moment in Time with Albertosaurus by Philip J. Currie and E.P. Felber (2001), published by Troodon Productions. • A Moment in Time with Centrosaurus by Philip J. Currie and E.B. Koppelhus (2001), published by Fitzhenry & Whiteside. • The Great Dinosaurs: A Study of the Giants' Evolution by Philip J. Currie and Z.V. Špinar and V.S. Spinar V.S. (2004), published by Caxton Editions. • Fascinující dinosauři by Vladimír Socha (2025), published by Dobrovský.
Primary material
Documents and archives
reference work
- “Jan Sovák”, English Wikipedia, consulted as further reading
Reputable secondary · Wikipedia
authority record
- Wikidata, structured authority record Q6149962: Jan Sovák
General reference · Wikidata
Notes from the source article
Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
These works are cited by the source article, in its own numbering. They are recorded as its citations, not as sources VALÉORINE has verified.
- 1.Hrdina, Karel. Zemřel malíř pravěku Jan Sovák. Ilustroval Jurský park, předlohu Spielbergova hitu. iDNES.cz. Mafra. 14 April 2025.
- 2.Tábor. Jan Sovák – Cesta do pravěku. Táborské městské galerie.
- 3.Fascinující dinosauři. Naše nakladatelství. 28 August 2025.
- 4.Plesník, Svetozár. Zpěvačky se svými dětmi pokřtily knihu Fascinující dinosauři. Ceske-novinky.cz. 4 September 2025.
- 5.Odešel muž, díky němuž oživli na plátně dinosauři. Tábor. 14 April 2025.
References
Citations
References
Each reference names the institution holding it, so a reader may go to the document itself.
reference work
Secondary witnessauthority record
General reference
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 17 August 2026.
Elsewhere in Illustration
5,224 published records in this field, each with its sources named.
- Jan O. HenriksenIllustrator
- Jan OrmerodIllustrator
- Jan Peeters the ElderIllustrator
- Jan PinkavaIllustrator
- Jan Spivey GilchristIllustrator
- Jan StrubeIllustrator
- Jan StykaIllustrator
- Jan ThomasIllustrator
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