Joseph F. Hlavacek (July 13, 1921 – July 5, 1982) was an American painter from Whitewater, Wisconsin whose paintings, mixed oil and metal collages, drawings, and prints on themes of the natural world won him much acclaim in the Midwest and from art critics around the country.
Hlavacek was known for both the "force and originality of his symbolism...and the bold simplification of form and color which was his trademark" (The Milwaukee Journal, July 6, 1982).
His inspiration came from the Wisconsin landscape and local plants, animals, and insects, and butterflies were a common theme in his later work.
Following his study in San Miguel de Allende, Hlavacek's work also took on color palettes, objects, and patterns reminiscent of indigenous Mexican art.
Hlavacek described his motivation in an interview in 1952: "Today's world is just too real, too much with us, so I like to deal with what some might term unreality."