JOZEF „KARČI“ HÖGER
akademický sochár
Jozef „Karči“ Höger bol jedným z mála sochárov, ktorý vo svojej umeleckej tvorbe uplatnil
celú škálu sochárskej formy a kultivoval komornú plastiku, monumentálny i komorný reliéf, a tento od
jeho výraznej priestorovosti až po plytkosť „taniera” na mincu. Pre svoje diela premyslene využíval
viaceré technické a technologické postupy – kovanie, tepanie, frézovanie, rytie, či liatie do viacerých
kovov.
Výtvarný prejav autora je realizovaný cez monumentálne sochárske a reliéfne diela, komorné
plastiky a reliéfy, plakety, medaily a pamätné mince. Pre Kremničanov a návštevníkov tohto mesta je
jeho najznámejším výtvarným dielom majestátna reliéfna stéla, ktorá v medzibrání stojí už sedemnásty
rok a informuje o histórii mesta. Stopy jeho výtvarných realizácií v oblasti architektúry nás zavedú na
viaceré miesta Slovenska. Sochárske diela, ktoré vytvoril v rámci spoločenskej objednávky alebo
voľnej tvorby, reprezentujú trojrozmerné figúry, poprsia a busty, pričom sa vyjadroval
prostredníctvom vysokého, nízkeho i rytého reliéfu (v duchu talianskej sochárskej školy Giacoma
Manzú). Osobitným rukopisom, variovaním a cizelovaním modelácie špecifického nízkeho reliéfu
s textom zakriveným do kruhu, približujúcim historické osobnosti a udalosti, sa podpísal pod desiatky
prác v medailérskej a mincovej tvorbe. Svojim umeleckým i osobnostným prístupom vplýval na
tvorbu viacerých kremnických medailérov a bohaté odborné skúsenosti odovzdával aj svojim
študentom.
Zo súťaží zberateľských mincí, vypísaných Národnou bankou bývalého Československa,
a v súčasnosti Národnou bankou Slovenska, si odniesol viaceré ocenenia, hoci v razbe nebol
realizovaný ani jeden z návrhov. To sa mu podarilo len štyrmi zahraničnými mincami, ktoré vyšli v
kolekcii tuniských dinárov. Úspešnou bola razba zlatých a strieborných medailí s prvou účasťou
Slovenska na olympiáde – Atlanta 1996.
Témou Högerovej voľnej tvorby je okrem portrétu predovšetkým figúra s výpovedným
obsahom a gestickou formou, ktorá je niekedy vsadená do konkrétneho priestoru, inokedy je len na
neutrálnom alebo rukopisne štruktúrovanom pozadí. Takto intímne potom ožíva muž pri ťažkej práci,
žena symbolizujúca lásku, túžbu, nehu i vzťah a tiež dieťa, ktoré vníma ako dar. Inšpiráciu nachádzal
v literatúre, v divadle, vo filozofii, v konkrétnych udalostiach, vo vlastnom pútnickom živote
a emocionálnom prežívaní.
Ako sochár sa zúčastnil na troch tvorivých podujatiach, a to v rokoch 1983 a 1985 v Kremnici
– nulté slovenské a prvé československé medailérske sympózium, a v roku 1994 – medzinárodné
sympózium liatej medaily a drobnej plastiky v Uherskom Hradišti (Česko).
Z jeho účastí na kolektívnych výstavách na Slovensku i v zahraničí možno spomenúť tie
špecializované: medzinárodná medailérska prehliadka na kongresoch Medzinárodnej federácie
umeleckého medailérstva FIDEM (1975, 1977, 1979, 1985, 1990…), Československá medaila,
Slovenská medaila, Bronzový trojuholník a im memoriam Od Dunaja Vltavy a Visly, Slovenská
medaila 2010 – 2015 a 2015 – 2020 a Statua 2018. Jeho výtvarné diela dopĺňajú zbierky viacerých
kultúrnych inštitúcií a súkromných zberateľov doma i za hranicami našej krajiny.
Autorská tvorba Jozefa „Karčiho“ Högera bola samostatne predstavená vo výstavných
priestoroch NBS – Múzea mincí a medailí v Kremnici dvakrát, a to v roku 1996 výberom z jeho diel
a v roku 2011 výstavou pod názvom Sguardo Lanciato, v ktorej si múzeum spolu s autorom
pripomenulo jeho životné jubileum. Pri tejto príležitosti bola verejnosti po prvýkrát predstavená aj
sochárova druhá tvorivá múza, prednesením výberu z autorovej poézie. V roku 2021 sa pristavenie pri
Högerovom tvorivom potenciáli koná opäť. Tentoraz na jeho „rodnej“ pôde v Šarišskej galérii v
Prešove, žiaľ, už bez prítomnosti autora, no s veľkou ústretovosťou jeho rodiny, predovšetkým detí
Alexandry a Mareka, ktorým patrí úprimné poďakovanie.
Mgr. Janka Kolláriková, Mgr. Alžbeta Malíková
kurátorky výstavy
Jozef ‘Karči’ Höger
Academic Sculptor
Academic sculptor Jozef ‘Karči’ Höger was born in the village of Fintice near Prešov,
although he spent his personal and professional life in Kremnica, a town with a significant tradition of
mining and minting. In the years 1966 – 1970, he studied at the local Secondary School of Arts and
Crafts, Department of Artistic Blacksmithing and Locksmithing. Afterwards, in 1970 – 1976 he
developed his talent in the sculpture studio at the Academy of Fine Arts in Bratislava, under the
guidance of sculptor Ján Kulich and later professor Rudolf Pribiš. At the end of his studies, he
completed a two-semester educational stay in Italy at the prestigious Accademia di Belle Arti Pietro
Vanucci in Florence, where he studied with professor Marc Chisotti and under his guidance completed
a sculptural diploma thesis. After graduating from university, he was approached to return to
Kremnica, where he took up the position of a teacher at the Secondary School of Arts and Crafts.
Between 1977 and 2005, he worked with a five-year break in the design department. During his
teaching career, he also worked as a freelance artist. He was a member of the Association of Slovak
Fine Artists, the Slovak Fund for Fine Arts and the Slovak Union of Visual Arts – Association of
Medallists of Slovakia.
The author’s artistic expression is realized through monumental sculptural and relief works,
chamber sculptures and reliefs, plaques, medals and commemorative coins. For Kremnica residents
and visitors to this town, his most famous work of art is a majestic relief stela, which has stood in
Medzibránie (‘area between gates’) for seventeen years and informs about the history of the town.
Footprints of his artistic realizations in architecture will take us to several places in Slovakia.
The sculptures he created in the vein of the contemporary zeitgeist or his own free creation are
represented by three-dimensional figures and busts, expressing himself through the medium of high,
low and engraved medium (in the spirit of the Italian sculpture school of Giacomo Manzù). With his
unique script, variating, chiselling and modelling of specific low relief with a text describing historical
figures and events curved into a circle, he authored dozens of works in medal and coin creation. With
his unique artistic and personal approach, he influenced the work of several Kremnica medallists and
continued to pass on his rich professional experience to his students.
He won several awards from the collector coin competitions organised by the National Bank
of the former Czechoslovakia, and more recently by the National Bank of Slovakia, although none of
his designs were implemented in minting. He succeeded, however, in having four foreign coins minted
and issued in the collection of Tunisian dinars. Another success was the minting of gold and silver
medals with the first participation of Slovakia in the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta.
In addition to portraits, the theme of Höger’s own creative work is primarily a figure with a
narrative content and a gestural form, which is sometimes set in a specific space, other times it is only
on a neutral or script-structured background. In this intimate way, a man comes to life during hard work, a woman symbolizing love, desire, tenderness and a relationship, and also a child, which she
perceives as a gift. He found inspiration in literature, in theatre, in philosophy, in specific events, in his
own life journey and emotional experience.
As a sculptor, he participated on three creative events, in 1983 and 1985 in Kremnica – the
zeroth Slovak and the first Czechoslovak medal symposium, and in 1994 – international symposium of
cast medal and small sculpture in Uherské Hradište (Czech Republic).
From his participation in collective exhibitions in Slovakia and abroad, we can mention the
specialized ones: international medal show at the congresses of the International Art Medal Federation
FIDEM (1975, 1977, 1979, 1985, 1990…), Czechoslovak Medal, Slovak Medal, Bronze Triangle and
in memoriam From the Danube, Vltava and Vistula, Slovak Medal 2010 – 2015 and 2015 – 2020, and
Statua 2018. His works of art complement the collections of several cultural institutions and private
collectors both within and beyond the borders of our country.
Artistic work of Jozef ‘Karči’ Höger was presented in the exhibition hall of the NBS -
Museum of Coins and Medals in Kremnica on two separate occasions, in 1966 displaying a selection
of his works and in 2011 holding an exhibition called Sguardo Lanciato, in which the museum
together with the author commemorated his life’s jubilee. On this occasion, the sculptor’s second
creative muse was introduced to the public for the first time, by presenting a selection from the
author’s poetry. In 2021, the commemoration of Höger’s creative aptitude takes place again, on his
‘home territory’ in Šariš Gallery in Prešov, this time, unfortunately, without the presence of the author,
but with strong support of his family, especially his children Alexandra and Marek, who deserve our
sincere thanks.
Mgr. Janka Kolláriková, Mgr. Alžbeta Malíková
Curators of the Exhibition
