Lucie Gelemová, the Artist: Her Boyfriend Felix is the First to See her Paintings
Tabloids have already written plenty about Lucie Gelemová – how she “stole” an older man from the poor “Dáda”, that she’s just a gold digger, and lots more. But nobody actually asked her about herself. Who is she, why did she fall in love with an older musician, what she likes and does aside from painting. In an interview with Luxury Prague Life, she openly discusses not only her love of art, but also the most important man in her life and her sister, who she is very proud of.
Lucie, the first thing everyone connects your name to is the famous story featuring Felix Slováček. So, how did it really happen? How did you suddenly “appear out of nowhere”?
Well, I must say that the phrase “appear out of nowhere” sounds a bit comical to me. Anyway, all I can say is that those who are interested in who I am can simply search for “Lucie Gelemová” on Google: the fifth result (give or take) is my website, www.luciegelemova.cz. There you’ll find the truth about me. I never told anyone (Ed. Note: journalists) who I am, what are my motives, what I do or don’t do. The information you see outside of my website is based on claims of people who have never been in contact with me.
I see a beautiful young woman who I know loves art. Where did your passion for art come from?
I don’t know whether calling it a passion is the right word… but there certainly is some sort of positive relationship. It’s about loving beautiful things and beauty in general. First and foremost, it can be traced to my parents, who raised me in a way which allowed me to enjoy this beauty and even participate in it. My mother is an excellent painter and sketch artist. Whenever she did something with her hands, the result was always beautiful. When I was small, we used to move around a lot and my mom liked to redecorate our homes. Already back then, during communism, she used very unorthodox colors and materials. She taught me that you don’t need much to create something great. If someone has the right idea and touch, you can create something beautiful out of anything – and you don’t even need a lot of money to do that. It’s about people – how they can use what they have.
Did you have any other inspirational figures in your childhood?
The most important person who brought me to art and taught me to think about all these things was my grandpa, who unfortunately died 4 years ago. He was the father of my mom, and to me he was the wisest man in the whole world. In České Budějovice, my home town, he founded the psychiatric ward in the Army Hospital. I always liked talking to him, maybe it was related to his job; anyway, I spent a lot of time with him. It was he who provided me with a range of interesting books. We spoke about painters, their work, lives, what these people went through, about people in general and their actions. We spoke about why we’re here and other philosophical questions.
Back then, did you already know that you’d become a professional artist?
I guess I didn’t think about it this way. We drew a lot with my grandpa. But I don’t remember any specific job or vocation that I wanted to do; I always only found bits here and there which I considered interesting. I guess it mostly came to light about ten years ago… but it might have been even earlier. It was when I returned from London, where I lived for three years and studied at an arts institute. That is where I truly touched art for the first time and realized that it’s something I’d like to do.
Is it even possible to make a living only with art in the Czech Republic?
Well, if you want to survive and live and at the same time do what you like, you have to find a way. I never said it’s easy.
Do you ever have exhibits?
Not regularly, but right now I could in fact invite you to one, specifically an exhibit from 13 July that will take place at the Křtiny chateau near Brno. The next one will open on 16 September in the Děčín synagogue. And a few days ago I had a smaller exhibit in Charvátská Nová Ves, where I showed some of my graphics and paintings.
Nothing in Prague?
Prague can wait. I’m saving it for later. For now, I’m focusing on the Czech countryside.
All your paintings are for sale?
Not all. It depends… if I have a deep emotional attachment to one, then it’s not for sale. But I make most of my money from paintings, specifically custom portraits.
How much do your paintings cost?
That really depends… it’s always about a personal agreement. I also care about who I sell my painting to. I recently started doing a lot of work in graphics, specifically the dry needle technique; that one is less expensive, and the cost of individual works ranges in the thousands (of Czech Crowns).
When you met Felix Slováček, who is also an artist, was he an inspiration for you? How can you interconnect the art of music and painting?
Felix is definitely an integral part of my art, since he was basically one of its greatest triggers – similarly as my former husband, is in some form part of all of my work. I believe that most painters are in a similar situation. If you love someone, the relationship then clearly impacts your work. When a new painting is completed, Felix is the first to see it and the first person I discuss it with. The second is then my younger sister Veronika, who is also very talented. She is currently studying at the high school of fine arts of Anežka Česká in Český Krumlov. She’s a very talented painter, or perhaps graphics designer, and is also an excellent poet. These two individuals are very important to me. I’m happy that Felix shares my live of art, we visit galleries together. We’ve recently been in Vienna at an exhibit of Egon Schiele, who was also born in Český Krumlov, and I was happy to see how Felix enjoyed the exhibit. I’m happy that I can share this with him.
I find it interesting that each new love is a new trigger for your work.
Well, isn’t it natural that when a person is in love, happy, then he or she feels the need to express this in one way or another. Some like to sing, others go shopping, and I paint.
Did the “media massage” you receive for your relationship impact the sale of your paintings in any way?
The relationship I have with Felix is a real partnership, something that is anchored in reality, but the witch-hunt of the media which paints me as the bad one is purpose-driven. Many believe that I benefit from it in one way or another. All I can say is that it has certain pros and cons. I’d rather not go into further detail.
Every artist has something special they like to spend money on. What about you?
I love the nature and its calm. The smell of the forest, meadows, the sun. These things are important for me, it’s what I use to clear my head. So, traveling. That’s what I like to spend money on.
What was the farthest place you were to?
It’s not about that. The farther you are, the more you realize how beautiful our country is. I’m thankful and also proud for being Czech. I come from southern Bohemia, and that’s also my favorite place on earth. And then there’s Moravia, which I also love. The Moravian people and their work in general is great. I like going there.
Do you like cimbal music?
(laughing) I love cimbal music… when I mentioned my exhibit at Charvátská Nová Ves, I was very happy to learn that during the exhibit Felix also introduced his new CD, where he as a soloist is accompanied with the folk band Charvatčané.
Do you like to listen to their music?
Of course. But I can’t really say which of their songs is my favorite.
Do you have other paintings than your own at home? For instance, do you collect the work of someone famous?
Mostly my sister’s work. I don’t care about the name, but rather about my personal connection. I don’t collect the work of any specific person. But if someone gives me a picture or painting for any reason and I have a nice relationship to that person, then I keep it. I have one painting that I got from my grandfather, by the Romanian artist Rudolf Dzurka, who is unfortunately now deceased. In fact, he died and my grandfather died only half a year apart. This very important artist used crushed glass in his work. That’s probably the most expensive painting I have.
Every woman longs for something – be it a purse or a precious painting – but it seems you don’t want anything.
I find the greatest joy in knowing that someone ordered a painting and that they’re then happy with it, it makes them happy and they like looking at it. Or when I organize an exhibit and there is positive feedback. Those are the most precious things for me.
And what if there’s criticism?
That of course happens, it’s unavoidable, but one needs to learn from it instead of being destroyed by it. You need to use that experience to avoid making the same mistakes. Nothing in life works without trying and failing. My grandfather in particular really helped teach me how to cope with these things.
Since you spent a lot of time with your grandfather, he was a sort of model for you, isn’t it the case that now you seek out older, more experienced partners because of that?
Everyone who is for whatever reason curious about why I’m with an older partner must be thinking “why?”. And if he or she is a decent person, then the first thing that might come to his mind is links to childhood. I’m a Capricorn and I’ve always gravitated towards older people, even as a small child; they have experience and I was interested in their knowledge and opinions. Mostly I sought them out because of their wisdom and understanding. So perhaps it’s because of my horoscope, or because I spent a lot of time with my grandparents. Yes, there’s an age gap of 40 years between me and Felix, but the way the tabloids present us and what the people then believe, that’s obscene. I don’t know who gave them the right to write such abusive nonsense about us… I mean, look at Karel Gott, a very famous and well respected person and a friend of Felix, and his wife is 35 years younger than him. Another friend of Felux, Petr Janda – his wife is also 40 years younger than him. But nobody would dare to make such obscene allegations about them, to use such vulgar language to soil their relationships. And there are many more examples not only abroad but also in the past. One can’t judge just because of age. Nobody has the right to do that until they experience it on their own.
Have your parents met Felix?
Of course. They like him and he likes them. We visit them from time to time. They understand each other; it’s nice, we always enjoy visiting them.
Lucie, are you happy? Would you change anything in your life?
Well, there’s always something that could change, people should always strive to improve. It’s part of life. But I won’t be more specific. For instance, I just recently graduated from the Academy of Fine Arts, and I’m happy that’s behind me. I’m proud of myself.
