untitled

gelatin silver print, manipulated

Over the course of several decades, the Czech photographer Miroslav Tichý (1926–2011) developed a distinctive body of work that stands apart in the history of photography. In his hometown of Kyjov, he primarily photographed women in public spaces – on streets, in parks, or at swimming pools. The photographs were mostly taken without the subjects’ knowledge. This has been interpreted in different ways: on the one hand as a documentary practice of everyday life, on the other as a problematic visual strategy interpreted as voyeuristic.¹
Tichý used homemade cameras for this purpose, which he improvised from simple materials such as cardboard, tin cans, or optical lenses.² 
The technical limitations of these devices significantly shaped the visual aesthetic: blurriness, light spots, scratches, and smudges are characteristic features of his work. However, these characteristics should not be understood exclusively as shortcomings; rather, Tichý consciously accepted them and integrated them aesthetically. "First of all, you have to have a bad camera" and "A mistake. That’s what makes the poetry."³
For decades, he produced up to 100 photographs daily. The prints were developed in an improvised darkroom setup. Many works bear traces of the production process, which are an integral part of the visual impact. Furthermore, Tichý edited his photographs retrospectively: he cropped them, mounted them on found paper or cardboard, and supplemented them with drawn elements.⁴ This results in images as object-like photographs that straddle the boundaries between photography, drawing, and collage.
Tichý’s work remained outside the art world for a long time and was not received internationally until the early 2000s, largely due to the presentation and promotion by Roman Buxbaum.⁵ In this context, Tichý’s work was also situated within broader discourses on so-called Outsider Art.⁶
(Christoph Fuchs, translated by deepL)

Notes

1
cf. Lempertz, Artist Directory: "Miroslav Tichý", www.lempertz.com; and ICP, "In Memory of Miroslav Tichý (1926–2011)", www.icp.org (accessed 16.4.2026)

2
Roman Buxbaum, "Miroslav Tichý: Tarzan Retired", 2010, americansuburbx.com (accessed 16.4.2026)

3
quoted from Buxbaum, 2010

4
cf. Lempertz

5
cf. Roman Buxbaum (ed.), Miroslav Tichý, Cologne 2005

6
Wikipedia, "Outsider Art", www.wikipedia.org (accessed 16.4.2026)