1904-1982 Painter, graphic artist, restorer

Jan Zikmund Melichar was born on May 17, 1904 in Prague. He studied under V. Nechleba and J. Loukota at the Prague Academy of Fine Arts (1924 - 1926) and in the evening courses of Professor Mako and Kulec at the Ukrainian Academy in Prague. He mainly painted portraits, genre paintings and still-lifes, worked as a restorer, devoted himself to both free and applied graphics. An entirely unique interest was manifested in flora, both freely flowering in nature, and ornamental in vases and botanical, scientifically accurate illustrations of atlases and school boards. Also illustrated children's books. He was involved in the restoration of the Reiner's frescoes of the church at St. Catherine in Prague, painted ceilings in the Tuscan Palace and Maltese Square in Prague, restored the paintings of Švabinský and Preisler in Prague's Municipal House. He participated in Prague salons. Source: - Dictionary of Czech and Slovak Fine Artists 1950 - 2002 - New dictionary of Czechoslovakian artists