Eva Kmentová (1928–1980), one of Czechoslovakia's most prolific and renowned female sculptors, lived for many years with a severe chronic condition that deeply influenced both her life and work. However, in local art historical and curatorial reflections on her oeuvre, this complex experience is often relegated to a mere footnote. When it is addressed, it is typically interpreted as either a tragic misfortune that cut her life short before she could "properly conclude her oeuvre," a transcendental experience that adds "existential depth" to her work, or a heroic act ("working despite the illness") that contributes to her personal mythology.

This talk seeks to offer a more nuanced reading of Kmentová’s work in the context of chronic illness by juxtaposing the aforementioned art historical interpretations with the artist’s own self-perceptions, self-narratives, and self-representations, as recorded in her visual and written diaries.

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