Collection of Art in the European Parliament:Big Sward (2005)
Theidea of establishing the collection was conceived in 1980 by the then speakerof Parliament Simone Veil. The collection’s main message is to showcase thework of a young generation of artists across the Member States of the EuropeanUnion and to capture its visual heritage. It is currently made up of more than500 works displayed in the three workplaces of the European Parliament, theoffices of the President and members of the Bureau, in the protocol lounges andpublic spaces. Some works can also be found in the European Parliament’scontact offices in the Member States.
Thecollection embodies human values such as dignity, natural environmentalism,cooperation and hope. The basic motto of the collection is ‘unity indiversity’. The collection is continuously updated, expanding its context toinclude new forms of creative expression providing insight into history.
In2007 the collection was enriched by a work entitled Big Sward by Petr Písařík. This is a large format painting createdin 2005 using mixed media on canvas. BigSward or Velký drn represents theartist’s difficult task of coping with the mundane nature of life andtransforming it into an aesthetically significant form.
PetraPísařík’s work is represented in the European Parliament alongside works byother important Czech artists such as: Tomáš Císařovský, František Gilman, PetrMalina, Jan Merta, Tim Gilman, Stanislav Kolíbal, Marek Meduna, Petr Pastrňákand Jan Šerých.
ContemporaryArt Collection, EuropeanParliament
