Mikoláš Aleš
Mikoláš Aleš (18 November 1852 – 10 July 1913) was a Czech painter. Aleš is estimated to have had over 5,000 published pictures; he painted for everything from magazines to playing cards to textbooks. His paintings were not publicized too widely outside Bohemia, but many of them are still available, and he is regarded as one of the Czech Republic's greatest artists.
Also recorded as Nikolaus Alesch · Nikolaus Aleš · Nikolaus Ales · nikolaus ale
Mikoláš Aleš

Jan Schumpeter · National Library of the Czech Republic · Public domain
- Born
- 1852.
- Died
- 1913.
- Nationality
- Cisleithania.
- Occupation
- painter, illustrator, academic painter, draftsperson, exlibrist, designer and watercolorist.
- Movements
- academic art.
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Documentary summary
Mikoláš Aleš (18 November 1852 – 10 July 1913) was a Czech painter. Aleš is estimated to have had over 5,000 published pictures; he painted for everything from magazines to playing cards to textbooks. His paintings were not publicized too widely outside Bohemia, but many of them are still available, and he is regarded as one of the Czech Republic's greatest artists.
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Authority files
getty · 500308199 · wikidata · Q446948 · wikipedia · Mikoláš Aleš
In this article
Biography
Biography
Aleš was born in Mirotice near Písek, into a relatively rich family that was in debt at the time. He was taught history by his brother František until the latter's death in 1865; he expressed interest in painting at an early age. In 1879 he married Marina Kailová and moved to Italy where he continued his career in painting. He moved back to Prague to work on the new artwork at the Prague National Theatre along with other notable painters. Aleš died in Prague at the age of 60.
Life and career
Dated record
Life and career
The full dated record · 2 entries
1852
Mikoláš Aleš born at Mirotice.
1913
Mikoláš Aleš died at Prague.
Legacy
Aleš is probably best known today as being one of the painters (the other being František Ženíšek) that redecorated the famous foyer of the Czech National Theatre. Aleš did gain fame during his lifetime, especially for his architectural artwork, but his paintings were mostly only praised after his death. Now many streets in the Czech Republic are named after Aleš. Aleš's work, while not embraced by the German Nazis who controlled the Czech lands from 1938 to 1945, was used extensively for propaganda purposes by the later Communist regime especially during the 1950s. He was voted #89 in a 2005 poll of the most important Czech. A descendant of his brother-in-law, Otto Kail, is the former President of the Czech Republic Václav Klaus.

At the Grave of a Hussite Warrior, drawing
Mikoláš Aleš · File:The Czechoslovak Review, vol3, 1919.djvu

An Orphan, drawing
Mikoláš Aleš · File:The Czechoslovak Review, vol3, 1919.djvu
Primary material
Documents and archives
reference work
- Wikidata, structured authority record Q446948: Mikoláš Aleš
Reputable secondary · Wikimedia Foundation
- “Mikoláš Aleš”, English Wikipedia, consulted as further reading
Reputable secondary · Wikipedia
authority file
- Getty Union List of Artist Names 500308199, Alois Jirásek and Mikoláš Aleš Museum.
General reference · The Getty Research Institute
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.Mikolas Ales' childhood in Mirotice
- 2.Tyman, Jaroslav. Mikolas Ales- Gallery. 2006-08-17.
- 3.Tyman, Jaroslav. Mikolas Ales. 2006-08-17.
- 4.Mikoláš Aleš (18.11.1852 - 10.7.1913): Národní malíř.
- 5.Čtvrtník, Mikuláš. Mikoláš Aleš a jeho druhý život. Radio Prague. 2007-12-09.
- 6.Česká televize. Největší Čech - O projektu. 2005.
- 7.Klaus: Profesor z chalupy. 2 February 2008.
References
Citations
References
Each reference names the institution holding it, so a reader may go to the document itself.
authority file
Getty Union List of Artist Names 500308199, Alois Jirásek and Mikoláš Aleš Museum.The Getty Research Institute
Secondary witnessreference work
Wikidata, structured authority record Q446948: Mikoláš AlešWikimedia Foundation
Secondary witnessreference work
Secondary witness
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 14 August 2026.
Elsewhere in Illustration
5,224 published records in this field, each with its sources named.
- Mikio IkemotoIllustrator
- Mikiyo TsudaIllustrator
- Miklós BánffyIllustrator
- Mikołaj WisznickiIllustrator
- Mikuláš GalandaIllustrator
- Mikuláš MedekIllustrator
- Milan BizovičarIllustrator
- Milan ResselIllustrator
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