I have taken pictures of president Vaclav Havel many times and it was bringing me a great pleasure - especially in the euphoric years after the November 1989. When I knew I will be taking pictures of him, I felt nervous, shy and jittery. That derived from an incredible aura of such a charismatic person as Vaclav Havel was.

 

 

That was also the case on 20th of July, 1992, under the trees of castle gardens of Lány u Prahy Castle, which is an official summer residence of the presidents of the Czech Republic. Czechoslovakia was falling apart into two separate states. Vaclav Havel couldn’t stop the process and he couldn’t divide himself into two. Therefore he decided to resign from his position even before the formal separation taking place on 1.1.1993. At the day he seemed calm, the advisors were advising, and the total of fifty journalists were taking pictures, shooting films and wrote. Me myself was photographing and felt a little shivers as I always do when I sense the right moment to push the firing button. There was sadness and worry in the face of Vaclav Havel. Sadness from Czechoslovakia falling apart, worry about the future of the two separate states. But there was also something else I could see in his face: a visionary hope. 

 

A triple portrait of president Vaclav Havel was created - together with his advisors Michael Žantovský and Saša Vondra. This portrait was published and I decided to present it to Vaclav Havel in the memory of his presidentship. Unfortunately I didn’t do it right away..

 

 

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