ACHIEVEMENTS

Frescos at La Cathedral Primada, Bogota, Colombia  1953

Academy of Motion Pictures Arts & Sciences  1970

'Ocean Life' Mural: Sea World, San Diego, California 1971
 

Member Art Directors Guild  IATSE  1972
 

Armed Forces Bicentennial Portrait, White House, 

Washington D.C.  1977
 

Gettysburg Picket's Charge Portrait, Pentagon, 

Washington D.C.  1977

"Gallery Of Portraits"; Universal Amphitheater 

Los Angeles, 1980

Romanesque Murals: Cesar's Palace, 

Las Vegas, CA 1985

'Untitled' Mural and Bust for Jules Stein Clinic, 

Los Angeles 1994
 

Oriol Gallery Munich 1995 - 2000
 

Lifetime Achievements of Jaroslav Gebr Exhibit, 

Art Directors Guild of America, Gallery 800 

Los Angeles, 2016
 

'The Crucifixion' portrait from Night Gallery Television Show, 

at LACMA 2016

MOCA display of Night Gallery Crucifixion Painting, 

Los Angeles,  2016

'Goddess Slays Soldier' Embassy of the Czech Republic, 

Washington D.C. 2017
 

Life Tribute by the Czech Republic Consul General, 

Los Angeles, CA 2017  

Jaroslav Gebr 

1926 - 2013

Acclaimed motion picture artist:    

Jaroslav was an art prodigy from a small village, Pisek, Czechoslovakia, who in spite of the horrors of World War II was able to refine his creative skills at the Academy of Arts in Prague then post-war Munich and Vienna. 

Living the horrors of  war, little did Jaroslav realize that his paintings and murals would find their way to the White House, The Pentagon, The United Nations, LACMA and would be enjoyed by millions of film and television viewers around the world for the next 60 years of his life_

Notable clientele:  Guillermo Del Toro, David Allen, Steven Spielberg, John Lucas, Barbara Streisand, Orson Wells, Lucille Ball, Vincent Minelli, Alfred Hitchcock, Rod Serling and so many more.  

Born to a generation of such close colleagues as  Emil Kosa Sr. and Kosa Jr., (students of Alphonse Mucha) and Gerhard Richter, Jaroslav was well on his way to becoming another one of the great Czech artists of his day.  

But the war in Europe changed the trajectory of his career.  

Refusing to surrender his artistic services to the Communist regime in his homeland, Jaroslav and his fiance’ (Adela Gebrova) escaped to Munich and married in 1948.  There, Jaroslav would earn his passage overseas by selling portraits and sketches to local officials, army brass and foot soldiers within the occupying sectors from Munich to Vienna.  Adela sang for Armed Forces Radio, Radio Free Europe, military dances and government galas. 

With their earnings they began their journey from Europe to England to South America and finally the United States. 

Having worked for the British Army as a translator, Adela was able to arrange passage to England for the newly married couple in 1949.  Next stop was Bogota’ Columbia in 1951, then in 1954, after the birth of their daughter Katherina in Colombia, they moved to the United States.

Between 1955-1966, overseas projects would bring the Gebrs’ to Great Britain.  By 1961, Jaroslav’s first film work would be ‘Ada’ with Dean Martin and ‘Psycho’ with Alfred Hitchcock.  

Jaroslav could not have dreamt that the rest of his life would follow an endless road of portraits, murals and visual effects for motion pictures and television.  A cascade of the most stunning body of work that has not since been matched by any one artist in the film industry to this day. 

Jaroslav’s first work in Los Angeles, was for the recording industry at Capitol Records (1954-61). There, he drew and designed album covers for such artists as Frank Sinatra, Peggy Lee, Nelson Riddle, Joan Baez, Les Brown, Maria Callas, and many more.
 

Jaroslav Gebr’s work for film and television industry began in 1960. Within a few years his works earned him much notoriety in many Oscar and Emmy Award winning productions such as: Shoes Of The Fisherman, Camelot, Sound of Music, Psycho, The Sting, Comes A Horseman, Night Gallery, Columbo,  Murder She Wrote, and many more. 

No historical period or medium posed an obstacle for Gebr.  From the western scene on the semi-truck-trailer in "Smokey and The Bandit" to a Baroque style portrait on a set for Alfred Hitchcock and all works delivered within a film production window of one to two weeks.    

His works might not have crossed the auction blocks of Sotheby's or Christie's, but throughout our life long romance of motion pictures and television, we have subliminally admired his work over the last six decades.  

Private sales prices have brought:  30k for ‘The Crucifixion’ from Night Gallery to Director Guillermo Del Toro.  As to a few auctions, finding 31k for ‘The Mansion’ from Night Gallery from the late Paul Allan’s estate and 118k for the ‘Joan Crawford’ portrait from Night Gallery.  Chapter Title Pages from ‘The Sting’ now generate a secondary market price of 8k. Other secondary market prices range from 15k to 7.5k.  

Most art lovers have not witnessed an artist before or since Jaroslav Gebr that has so brilliantly accomplished such a wide range of styles, periods, mediums and materials at the highest standard of artistry over the last seventy-five years.

The most important accomplishment Jaroslav would have been proud to share with all of us, would be his perfection of post war, realist, classical and post impressionist body of work which enjoys an audience  throughout the world.    

Jaroslav Gebr presented three traditional works to President Gerald Ford in the oval office in 1977,  to commemorate the U.S. Army’s 200th Anniversary. 

Gebr’s paintings also hang in the Czech Republic consulate in Los Angeles. as well as frescos in Bogota’ Columbia, Caesars Palace, Las Vegas

and Universal Studios, Hollywood and Orlando. 

 Jaroslav was a member of the Motion Picture Academy of Arts and Sciences since 1970.