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"Second Hand Booksellers, Spring", 1912, by Simon

"View in Old Prague", woodcut, 1930

Tavík František Šimon (May 13, 1877–December 19, 1942), known as T.F. Simon, was born in what is now called The Czech Republic. Simon was a painter, etcher, and woodcut artist much of whose career took place in Prague, New York City, and Paris, France. His style was strongly influenced by the French Impressionists and, presumably through them, by Japanese printmaking techniques, in particular color aquatints with soft ground etching. Simon was also a master of the mezzotint but completed very few prints in this difficult medium, with most being female nudes in subtle tones of black. Largely ignored during the Communist era in Czechoslovakia, his work has received greater attention in recent years.

He was born in Železnice (known at that time as Eisenstadtl) near Jičín. As a student at the Academy of Fine Arts, Prague, he received a stipend that allowed him to travel to Italy, Belgium, England and France. He had his first solo exhibition in Prague in 1905, and a Paris exhibition in 1906. His extensive travels would eventually also bring him to New York City, London, the Netherlands, Spain, Morocco, Ceylon (now Sri Lanka), India, and Japan, images of all of which appear in his work.

After spending 1905–1913 based in Paris, Simon returned to Prague and became a professor at the Academy of Fine Arts, Prague. In 1917 he became a founding member of the Hollar Association of Czech Graphic Artists, which he later chaired.

He died in Prague in 1942.

Reports exist of modern re-prints being made from the original printing plates created by Tavik Simon. These may be sold without acknowledgment that they are recent, posthumous re-strikes.

• TFSimon.com, site with extensive reproductions of Simon's works and those of other Czech artists.

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