Václav Kabát is a leading Czech book illustrator. From 1947 to 1951 he attended the State Graphic School in Prague, then studied at the Academy of Fine Arts until 1956. He first worked as a freelance artist, primarily doing applied graphics, but later established himself as a book illustrator. He worked with several publishing houses but primarily with the children’s literature publishing house Albatros. He works primarily in etching and dry needle techniques. He has edited many books and illustrated about ninety titles. His most extensive work is an illustration of Adrian Mole’s series of diaries by writer Sue Townsend.
He famously draw several political cartoons against the 1968 Warsaw Pact invasion of Czechoslovakia. He was highly productive notwithstanding the dearth of artists’ equipment in Czechoslovakia because of state censorship.
His work is highly celebrated. In 1974 he won the Grand Prize of the Premio Grafico di Bologna for illustrations to James Thurber’s book Thirteen Hours. In 1977 he won the IBA Leipzig Silver Medal for illustrations for the book by Asbjørnsen and Moe O princeznách z modré vrchu. And in 2002 he was celebrated with the Golden Ribbon of the Czech Section of the Imaginative Book Illustration Society for lifetime work.
He has exhibited his work extensively.
