Mikoláš Aleš

His paintings were not publicized too widely outside Bohemia, but many of them are still available, and he is regarded as one of the Czech Republic's greatest artists.

[1] He was taught history by his brother František until the latter's death in 1865; he expressed interest in painting at an early age.

Aleš is probably best known today as being one of the painters (the other being František Ženíšek) that redecorated the famous foyer of the Czech National Theatre.

Aleš's work, while not embraced by the German Nazis who controlled the Czech lands from 1938 to 1945, was used extensively for propaganda purposes by the later Communist regime especially during the 1950s.

[6] A descendant of his brother-in-law, Otto Kail, is the former President of the Czech Republic Václav Klaus.