Ivan Kyncl (15 April 19536 October 2004) was a Czech-born British theatre photographer. After fleeing his native

Czechoslovakia Czechoslovakia ( ; Czech language, Czech and , ''Česko-Slovensko'') was a landlocked country in Central Europe, created in 1918, when it declared its independence from Austria-Hungary. In 1938, after the Munich Agreement, the Sudetenland beca ...

in 1980, he became a British citizen and worked as the

Royal Shakespeare Company The Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) is a major British theatre company, based in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, England. The company employs over 1,000 staff and opens around 20 productions a year. The RSC plays regularly in London, Stratf ...

's house photographer as well as in numerous other theatres in the United Kingdom until his death in 2004.

Early life

Kyncl was born in Prague on 15 April 1953. He was not allowed to enter university on account of his father being imprisoned, subsequently becoming a professional photographer and taking photos of political prisoners and

dissident A dissident is a person who actively challenges an established political or religious system, doctrine, belief, policy, or institution. In a religious context, the word has been used since the 18th century, and in the political sense since the 2 ...

s in Czechoslovakia. His photography involved shooting on location at prisons and courts, and using

hidden camera A hidden camera or spy camera is a camera used to photograph or record subjects, often people, without their knowledge. The camera may be considered "hidden" because it is not visible to the subject being filmed, or is disguised as another obje ...

s for close objects, as well as

telephoto lens A telephoto lens, also known as telelens, is a specific type of a long-focus lens used in photography and cinematography, in which the physical length of the lens is shorter than the focal length. This is achieved by incorporating a special lens ...

es for things he could not approach. He left his home country in 1980.

Move to the United Kingdom

In 1980 Kyncl was granted

asylum Asylum may refer to: Types of asylum * Asylum (antiquity), places of refuge in ancient Greece and Rome * Benevolent asylum, a 19th-century Australian institution for housing the destitute * Cities of Refuge, places of refuge in ancient Judea * ...

in the United Kingdom, before becoming the

's house photographer in the 1980s. He also worked for the

Royal Court Theatre The Royal Court Theatre, at different times known as the Court Theatre, the New Chelsea Theatre, and the Belgravia Theatre, is a West End theatre#London's non-commercial theatres, non-commercial theatre in Sloane Square, London, England, opene ...

, the

Almeida Theatre The Almeida Theatre is a 325-seat producing house located on Almeida Street off Upper Street in the London Borough of Islington. The theatre opened in 1980, and produces a diverse range of drama. Successful plays are often transferred to West E ...

, and the

Royal National Theatre The National Theatre (NT), officially the Royal National Theatre and sometimes referred to in international contexts as the National Theatre of Great Britain, is a performing arts venue and associated theatre company located in London, England, ...

. In his lifetime he gained

British citizenship The primary law governing nationality in the United Kingdom is the British Nationality Act 1981, which came into force on 1 January 1983. Regulations apply to the British Islands, which include the UK itself (England, Wales, Scotland, and Nor ...

Personal life

His parents were Jiřina Kynclová, who survived him, and writer , a

Charter 77 Charter 77 (''Charta 77'' in Czech language, Czech and Slovak language, Slovak) was an informal civic initiative in the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic from 1976 to 1992, named after the document Charter 77 from January 1977. Founding members ...

signatory, who died in 1997. Kyncl died in 2004 at the age of 51 due to heart failure. He was survived by his wife of 23 years, Alena.

Legacy

In 2007, the first Czech exhibition solely of Kyncl's work was held in Prague.

Czech Television Czech Television ( ; abbreviation: ČT) is a public television broadcaster in the Czech Republic, broadcasting six channels. Established after breakup of Czechoslovakia in 1992, it is the successor to Czechoslovak Television founded in 1953. H ...

broadcast a documentary about Kyncl's life in 2017, titled ''Mistr objektivu - Ivan Kyncl''. In 2019 his work went on display for four months at London's

Victoria and Albert Museum The Victoria and Albert Museum (abbreviated V&A) in London is the world's largest museum of applied arts, decorative arts and design, housing a permanent collection of over 2.8 million objects. It was founded in 1852 and named after Queen ...

in an exhibition entitled ''Ivan Kyncl: In the Minute''.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kyncl, Ivan 1953 births 2004 deaths Czechoslovak emigrants to England Czechoslovak photographers Naturalised citizens of the United Kingdom Photographers from Prague Political prisoners in former countries Theatrical photographers