In the atrium of the Slovak National Library, there are four sculptures in wood by the painter and sculptor Vladimír Kompánek. The sculptures evoke folk culture and mythology. The artist had a deep connection with the symbolism of his native land, his nation and its traditions. He created his own signature style, which opened a new perspective on sculpture. The totemic statues depict four figures: 

COUNTRY GIRL FROM LIPTOV 

height: 220 cm

PROTECTIVE MOTHER

height: 310 cm

PENÁT (protective deity of the home)

height: 190 cm

BRIDE

height: 320 cm

 

The sculptures are made of solid oak. They were installed inside the building in the late 1980s, when they were moved to the atrium from an undignified location behind the building, where they ended up when Vladimír Kompánek became a persona non grata for the regime in power in the 1970s. The artist said that the installation in the atrium was made without his involvement. There were initially five sculptures in the group, but the largest of them did not survive. 

Vladimír Kompánek was born in Rajec (present-day Slovakia) on 28 October 1927. He first studied at the Slovak Technical University in Bratislava with professors G. Mallé, J. Mudroch and K. Sokol. Later he continued his studies at the Academy of Fine Arts in Bratislava. In 1957 he became a co-founder of the Mikuláš Galanda Group. He exhibited at the Venice Biennale of Art, at EXPO 67 in Montreal, and in 1970 at the Osaka EXPO in Japan. He was most active as a sculptor in the 1960s. In addition to his large sculptures, he also made small sculptural pieces and wooden toys intended not only for children but also for adults. In the following decades, he took up painting. He has an important place in the history of modern Slovak art thanks to his transformation of folk art by utilising its logic, materials and techniques in modern, poetic compositions. He died on 20 January 2011 in Bratislava.