Trebbia european awards laureates

Trebbia European Awards Laureates (2000 - 2010)

*Thuraya Al-Baqsami (1952)**	writer and painter (Kuwait)
*Mohamed Al-Qadiri (1951)**	writer and diplomat (Kuwait)
*Amri Aminov (1966)**	sculptor originally from Tajikistan, living in Paris (France)
*Jean Amiot (1949)**	general director of J. B. F. Editions d‘Art Paris (France)
Norbert Auerbach (1922–2009)	president, United Artists Company (USA –CZ)
*Ladislav Ballek (1941)**	writer, ambassador of the Slovak Republic in the Czech Republic (Slovakia)
*János Bán (1955)**	actor (Hungary)
*Jiří Bělohlávek (1946)**	chiev conductor of the BBC Symphony Orchestra, London (Czech Republic)
*Cornel Boda (1954)**	general director of COBRA (Czech Republic)
Commerzbank AG	subsidiary Prague (Czech Republic)
Česká Centra	government agency promoting Czech culture abroad
Česká spořitelna, a.s.	banking institution (Czech Republic)
Rudolf Čižmárik (1949–2008)	poet and writer (Slovakia)
*Robert Descharnes (1926)**	lifetime autobiographist and photographer of Salvador Dalí (Francfe)
*František Dvořák (1920)**	art historian (Czech Republic)
*Bülent Eczacibasi (1949)**	businessman and patron of art (Turkey)
Fopex Slovakia, s.r.o.	producer of pressure casting forms (Slovakia)
*Bob Geldof (1951)**	musician, actor and political activist (Ireland)
*Zdenek Grondol (1952)**	chairman of the board of Czech International (Czech Republic)
*Jaroslav Hába (1946)**	general director of ZČE (Czech Republic)
*Zlata Holušová (1958)**	founder of the Colours of Ostrava music festival (Czech Republic)
*Tibor Huszár (1952)**	photographer (Slovakia)
Václav Chochola (1923–2005)	artistic photographer (Czech Republic)
*Ladislav Chudík (1924)**	actor (Slovak Republic)
*Miroslav Klivar (1932)**	president of the European Union of Art and art historian (Czech Republic)
Královská kanonie premonstrátů na Strahově	(Czech Republic)
*Daniel Libeskind (1946)**	architect, author of the Freedom Tower in New York (USA)
*William Lobkowicz (1961)**	art collector and patron (USA –CZ)
*Markus Lüpertz (1941)**	painter, rector of the State Artistic Academy in Dusseldorf (Germany)
*Michael March (1946)**	founder and president of the Prague Writers’ Festival (USA –CZ)
*Richard H. Mayer (1933)**	collector, owner of Kunstgalerien Bottingerhaus Bamberg (Germany)
*Zdeněk Miler (1921)**	author of The Mole fairy-tale character (Czech Republic)
*Meda Mládková (1919)**	ounder of the Jan and Meda Mládek Foundation and the Kampa Museum (USA –CZ)
*Jan Mojto (1948)**	film producer (Germany)
*Josef Nálepa (1936)**	sculptor (Czech Republic)
*Aleksander Nawrocki (1940)**	writer, poet and literary critic (Poland)
*Jelena Obrazcova (1939)**	opera singer (Russian Federation)
OHL ŽS, a. s.	multispecialty building company (Czech Republic)
*Emma de Sigaldi (1911)**	sculptor (Monaco)
*His Majesty King Preah Bat Samdech Preah Boromneath Norodom Sihamoni (1953)**	King of Cambodia (Cambodian Kingdom)
*Jan Světlík (1958)**	chairman of the board and general director Vítkovice Holding (Czech Republic)
Škoda Auto, a.s.	(Czech Republic)
*Oleg Tabakov (1935)**	actor (Russian Federation)
*Thomas Thomaschke (1943)**	opera singer (Germany)
*Galsan Tschinag (1944)**	writer, poet, shaman (Mongolia)
*Robert Vano (1948)**	art photographer (SVK/USA/CZ)
*Otakar Vávra (1911)**	film director (Czech Republic)
*Jiří Vitula (1925)**	art historian and publicist (Czech Republic)
*Miro Voštiar (1947)**	collector of art and owner of the MIROFILM Company (Czech Republic)
*Ronnie Wood (1947)**	painter and musician, member of the Rolling Stones (Great Britain)
Zentiva, a.s.	pharmaceutical company (Czech Republic)
*Olbram Zoubek (1926)**	sculptor (Czech Republic)

Nominations for the Trebbia European Awards can be submitted to the TREBBIA Foundation by leading personalities and institutions from all over the world.

Trebbia European Award laureates are elected by the Trebbia International Nomination Committee (Trebbia INC) comprising:

VÁCLAV HAVEL, (honorary committee member) Playwright and Former President of the Czech Republic

Dr. DADJA ALTENBURG-KOHL, Founder of the DrAK Trust and the Montanelli Museum (Prague – Berlin)

BENKE AIKELL, Owner and Publisher of the Leaders Magazine (Gothenburg, Sweden)

MICHAEL HAAS, Collector, Gallery Owner and Curator (Zürich - Berlin)

EVA BLAHOVÁ, Member of Art Council National Theatre Prague and BHS Bratislava

ELIŠKA COOLIDGE-HAŠKOVÁ, Former Assistant to five American Presidents (Washington-Prague)

MEDA MLÁDKOVÁ, Collector, Art Patron and Founder of the Jan and Meda Mládek Foundation and Kampa Museum (Washington-Prague)

KLAUS VON TROTHA, Former Minister for Science, Research and Art for Baden-Württemberg and President of the International Hermann Hesse Society

MIRO SMOLÁK, Director of MIRO, k.s. Prague, founder of the TREBBIA Foundation and Chairman of the INC Trebbia

(From right) Janos Bán, Actor (Hungary), Laureate of the Trebbia European award 2011. The cheque for the amount of 50 000 CZK was presented by Marcela Mojtová, Vice-chairman of the board EUROKIM a.s., Bratislava and the award was presented by Jiří Menzel, Film Director.<br><br><br>JÁNOS BÁN (*1955) Hungary <br><br>János Bán is a Hungarian actor who has graduated from Dramatic Art School in Budapest, studying under Professor István Horvai, a well-known director. He worked in several regional theaters from 1975 to 1983 until he began working at the National Theatre in Pécs, Kisfaludi Theatre in Győr, and Szigligeti Színház in Szolnok. Since 1983, he was selected as a permanent member of the Katona József Színház theater in Budapest. János Bán is a talented actor who is able to perform all kinds of characters such as simple comic as well as tragicomic roles. His first film debut was through a psychology drama called “Every Wednesday” (Minden szerdán) in which he played a lonely young man looking for his place in the society. In 1985, he became famous after playing Otík in “My Sweet Little Village” (Vesničko má středisková), the famous film by Jiří Menzel which was later nominated in the Academy Awards for Best Foreign Language Film. Since then, he has been popular and sought after by film and theater producers. In 1987, he won the Jászai Mari Award. In addition, he has also been awarded with the title Meritorious Artist.

(From left) Klaus von Trotha, Former minister of Culture of Baden-Württemberg presented the award to Jan Světlík, Chairman of the board and General Director of Vítkovice Holding, Laureate of Trebbia Award 2011. <br><br><br>JAN SVĚTLÍK (*1958) Czech Republic<br><br>Jan Světlík is the chairman of the board of directors and managing director of Vítkovice Holding, a.s. He graduated from Vysoká škola báňská (Technical University of Ostrava) in 1982 and started working as a blacksmith-press operator in VŽSKG k.p. He later moved on to a process engineer position and to the other positions. In 1993, he was appointed as the head of Lahvárna (bottling room) Cost Centre and in 1994, as the director of 530, Vítkovice Lahvárna Business Unit. In 1999, the company was privatized. A Joint-stock company called Lahvárna Ostrava a.s. acquired 100% share of the company. In 2004, the company was renamed as Vítkovice Holding a.s., and Jan Světlík was appointed as its managing director and chairman of the board of directors. Apart from being a businessman, he is a passionate art collector and one of the most important patrons and sponsors of the art following the traditions from the pre-war period. In the past, he has won the Ostrava Venus Award for an extraordinary contribution to preservation of industrial heritage.

(From left) Natália Cehláriková, State Secretary at the Ministry of Culture of the Slovak Republic presented the award to Jan Mojto, (Germany) European film producer and Laureate of Trebbia Award 2011<br><br><br>JAN MOJTO (*1948) Germany<br><br>Jan Mojto is one of the most outstanding European film producers of Slovak origin, now residing in Germany. He studied literary science and history at the universities in Bratislava and Munich. After emigrating in 1969, he began working as a journalist. In 1977, he started working for Leo Kirch Press Magnate Media Group, and he gradually worked his way up to becoming the member of the board of directors. He was involved in producing famous German-Czechoslovak co-production films, including “The Feather Fairy” (Perinbaba). In 2002, he established his own production called Events of Screen (EOS), and started to produce highly successful series such as Bible, Napoleon, Count Monte Christo, and Les Miserables as well as the newest adaptation of “War and Peace”. Recently, he bought a significant part of Kirch´s Empire and Beta Film, the largest European film archive. In 2003, he was awarded with the European Charlemagne Prize. The jury considers Jan Mojto as the extraordinary personality of the media industry who embodies the idea of European co-production in a unique way.

(From left) Miroslava Němcová, Chairman of the Chamber of Deputies of the Parliament of the Czech Republic presented the award to Tibor Huszár, (Slovak Republic) Photographer and Laureate of the Trebbia European Award 2011.<br><br><br>TIBOR HUSZÁR (*1952) Slovakia<br><br>Tibor Huszár is a celebrated Slovak photographer who studied photography at Film and TV School of the Academy of Performing Arts (FAMU) in Prague, under the direction of Prof. Ján Šmonka. He began photographing for various magazines and other media even before he began studying photography at school and continued to work throughout his study. In 1983, he won The World Trienale of Theatre Photography in Novi Sad (Serbia) for his documentation of the theater life. In the early 90´s, he left to New York, where he started working as an independent photographer as well as a lecturer at Columbia University and New York University. He has published “Gipsies” (1993), “Portrests” (1995, 2000), and “Koloman Sokol” (1998), along with many others. He is leading the photography atelier at the Faculty of Media Communication at the University of Cyril and Metoděj in Trnava (Slovakia). He lives and works in Slovakia today.

Aleksander Nawrocki, (Poland) writer, poet and literary critic, Laureate ot he Trebbia European Award 2011. <br> <br> <br>ALEKSANDER NAWROCKI (*1940) Poland <br> <br>Aleksander Nawrocki majored in Polish and Hungarian Philology at the University of Warsaw. He writes poetry, prose, literary reviews, and translates Hungarian, Romanian, Bulgarian, Russian, Finnish, Georgian, Serb, German, English and French to Polish. He is the author of more than eleven collections of poems and two novels. In 1992, he established the publishing house IBiS, focusing on Polish and foreign poetry. Starting in 2001, he has organized the World Days of Poetry under the auspices of UNESCO and Polish Ministry of Culture and since 2008, he has been organizing Festival for Slavic Poetry. As a businessman who is active in a hotel industry, he has generously provided financial support to young writers and poets since 1990. Along with the numerous awards and accolades, he has also received Golden Cross of Merit.

(From left) Sergej Borisovič Kiseljov, Ambassador of Russian Federation in the Czech Republic and Jiří Besser, Minister of Culture of the Czech Republic who presented the award to Oleg Tabakov, (Russia) Actor and Laureate of Trebbia European Award 2011.<br><br><br>OLEG TABAKOV (*1935) Russian Federation<br><br>As an eight-year old son of a military doctor, Oleg Tabakov spent part of his childhood in the field hospital where he entertained wounded soldiers with his humorous poems and songs. When he was fourteen, he was already performing in the Moscow Palace of Pioneers. From 1953 to 1957, he studied acting at Vasilij Toporkov Theatre Studio of Nemirovich-Danchenko at Moscow Art Academic Theatre (MCHAT). In 1957, he became one of the founders of the Moscow theater called Sovremennik. Eleven years later, he gave a guest performance in the Prague Chinoherni Club Theatre (Dramatic Club Theatre) as Khlestakov in “The Inspector-General” by Nikolai Vasilievich Gogol. One of his most well-know roles in film is Count Nikolai Rostov in Sergei Bondarchuk´s adaptation of Lev Tolstoy’s novel, “War and Peace.” Another famous role he played is a lazy intellectual who spends his life in seclusion and philosophical refelction in Nikita Michalkov´s film adaptation of Goncharov´s novel “Oblomov.” In 1967, he won the State Award of Russian Federation for his theatrical work.

(From right) Otakar Vávra, Film Director and Laureate of the Trebbia European Award 2011 with his wife Jitka Němcová. The award was presented by Juraj Jakubisko, Film Director. <br><br><br>OTAKAR VÁVRA ( *1911) Czech Republic<br><br>This legendary film director graduated from a secondary school in Hradec Králová and began studying architecture in Prague. However, he ended up not completing his studies and began to fully pursue film shooting. In 1931, he produced an experimental film called “Light Penetrating Darkness” and other short films. In 1937, he directed his first film, “History of Philosophy” followed by the next film called “The Guild of Kutna Hora Virgins.” After 1945, he filmed “Krakatit (The Explosive),” a film with a strong anti-war message. He made more than fifty films, among which the most valued are “The Golden Apple,” “Romance for Cornet,” and “The Witchhammer.” In the 1950s, he was greatly concerned in establishing the famous Film School of Academy of Performing Arts, where he taught for five decades as a professor since 1963. His students were Miloš Forman, Věra Chytilová, Jiří Menzel, and other representatives of the Czech New Wave. He left the Film School in 2008 and in 2001, he was awarded the Czech Lion for Lifetime Achievement in the Czech Cinematography and the Award for Outstanding Artistic Contribution to World Cinema at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival. In 2004, President Václav Klaus awarded him the Medal of Merit.

Andy Hryc, actor, producer, director, businessman and honorary consul of Seychelles in the Slovak Republic presented the award for Sir Bob Geldof, Laureate of the Trebbia European Award 2010 for support of the arts. The prize was accepted by Sir’s Personal Secretary Emily Bowden. (Right) Jitka Novotná, Moderator, Czech TV.

Sir Bob Geldof, musician, actor, political activist, Laureate of the Trebbia European Award 2010 for support of the arts. <br><br><br> BOB GELDOF (*1951) – Ireland <br><br> Thanks to his charity activities, Bob Geldof earned the nickname Saint Bob. This musician, actor and political activist was born in 1951 in Dublin, Ireland. He was the first rock musician to meet the highest state representatives and make them listen to him. He won recognition as someone who is able to motivate people, and as a tireless worker and ardent participant in discussions. In 1982, he played the lead character in the famous “Pink Floyd” movie, The Wall. In 1985, he organized the biggest and most famous charity concert in the history of popular music, Live Aid. The biggest music stars gathered on the same day in stadiums in London and Philadelphia to sing and help Africa. In 1986, he was, as the first rock singer, knighted by the Queen of the United Kingdom. His popular autobiography is called “Is That It?”, which – as he claims – is also the question he keeps asking himself and which could be expressed by means of another question: “What more can we do to help?”

(From left) Ondřej Černý, Director, National Theatre Prague presented the Trebbia European Award 2010 for support of the arts to Prof. Thomas Thomaschke, world known opera singer. <br><br><br> Prof. THOMAS THOMASCHKE (*1943) – Germany <br><br> Thomas Thomaschke, a world-known opera singer, was born in 1943 in Saxony to a family of musicians. He studied singing at the Dresden Musical University under the guidance of the famous tenor Anton Dermota. In 1982, he was nominated for a prestigious American prize, the Grammy Award. As a pedagogue, he has been teaching at the music universities in Winterthur, Wien, Lübeck and Dresden. Since 1992, he has been appointed the Art Director of the International Festival Mitte Europa, Bavaria – Czech Republic – Saxony. He was also awarded the title Kammersänger. In 2004, he received from the hands of the German President Horst Kohler a Federal Cross of Merits, the highest honour of the Federal Republic of Germany.

(From left) Juraj Chmiel, the Minister for European Affairs of the Czech Republic presented the award for Bulent Eczacibasi, Laureate of the Trebbia European Award 2010 for support of the arts. The prize was accepted by Alp Orcun, Secretary General, Eczacibasi Foundation. <br><br><br> BULENT ECZACIBASI (*1949) – Turkey <br><br> Bulent Eczacibasi, an art benefactor was born in 1949. He studied at a German grammer school in Istanbul and later graduated in chemical engineering at universities in London, UK and Massachusetts, USA. This uncrowned king of the Turkish pharmaceutical industry belongs to the top 50 European entrepreneurs. Thanks to his successful business activities, he is able to provide a considerable support to artists and art venues, thus continuing the legacy of his father, who in 1973 established the Foundation for Modern Arts, now chaired by his son. His most important philanthropic achievement is the foundation and financial support of the Museum of Modern Art in Istanbul – Istanbul Modern, a renowned cultural centre on the shore of the Sea of Marmara, its buildings renovated customs warehouses.

(From right) Ladislav Chudík, actor, Laureate of Trebbia European Award 2010 for creative activities. The award was presented by Dušan Čaplovič, Deputy Prime Minister of the Government of the Slovak Republic. The cheque for the amount of 100 000 CZK was presented by Přemysl Synek, General Director, Diamonds International Corporation, Supervisor of Trebbia 2010. <br><br><br> LADISLAV CHUDÍK (*1924) – Slovak Republic <br><br> Ladislav Chudík remains engraved in the memory of TV viewers as Dr. Sova, a chief consultant in the famous TV series The Hospital on the Edge of the Town. The legendary actor Ladislav Chudík was born in 1924 in Hronec in the middle of the Slovak Republic. In 1944, after his studies at the Faculty of Arts in Bratislava, he started his carrier as a student actor in Slovak National Theatre, while studying acting at the State Conservatoire. During the following seven decades, he portrayed a huge number of theatre, television and film characters, who were given grace and inner charm by his astonishing acting expressivity. Ladislav Chudík won many awards, and in 1999, he became the first winner of the Prize of Jozef Kroner for his lifetime achievement.

Vladimír Hořejší (left), Chief Director of the Evropsko-Ruská Banka, a.s., Prague presented the cheque for the amount of 100 000 CZK for singer Jelena Obrazcova, Laureate of Trebbia European Award 2010 for creative activities. The prize was presented by famous singer Karel Gott (right). The cheque and price were received by Mrs. Olga Kabo, famous Russian TV and Film Actress. <br><br><br> JELENA OBRAZCOVA (*1939) – Russian Federation <br><br> The world-known mezzo-soprano singer Jelena Obrazcova was born in 1939 in Leningrad (today Saint Petersburg). She spent her early childhood in the period of blockades in the city during the Second World War. In 1954, she began to study at the music school in Rostov upon Don and then she was accepted by the conservatoire in Leningrad. Throughout her studies she already won several singing competitions. In 1963, she received an invitation to the opera choir of the Great Theatre in Moscow. She entered the European music scene with a highly successful concert in Paris, followed by her triumphal performances in La Scala in Milan, the Metropolitan Opera in New York and on many other magnificent stages of the world. Nowadays she devotes her time to pedagogical activities in Moscow and in Saint Petersburg.

(From right) Zlata Holušová, Laureate of the special Trebbia European award 2010 for contribution to the dialogue of national cultures. The prize was presented by Martin J. Stránský, MD, doctor, pedagogue, editor and publicist, New York – Prague. The cheque for the amount of 100 000 CZK was presented by Mrs. Kateřina Luisa Paděra-Daňhelová, General Director, SYNOT Holding, Patron of Trebbia 2010. <br><br><br> ZLATA HOLUŠOVÁ (*1958) – Czech Republic <br><br> The soul of the Colours of Ostrava music festival, Zlata Holušová, was born in 1958. She graduated at the Faculty of Arts of the university in Brno. She has been organizing multicultural and charity projects that transcend national borders for almost two decades. At the end of the 20th century, she set up a small multi-genre festival in the village Dolní Lhota near Ostrava. After four years of its success, the festival became one of the biggest and best known international music festivals in Europe, attended annually by hundreds of musicians from all over the world. “Ostrava is not black any more, but full of colours”, says the founder of the nowadays widely recognized and popular festival which celebrates music from all corners of the world.

Smetana Hall in the Municipal House Prague during the 9th annual of Gala Benefit evening Trebbia.

(From left) Kateřina Luisa Daňhelová, General Director of the SYNOT Holding and JUDr. František Mikeš, 1st Deputy of the Minister of Culture of the Czech Republic present the award and the cheque for the amount of 100 000 CZK to Markus Lüpertz, Painter and Sculptor, Rector of the State Artistic Academy in Düsseldorf and Laureate of the Trebbia European Award 2009 for creative activities. <br><br><br> MARKUS LÜPERTZ (*1941) - Germany <br><br> Markus Lüpertz is one of the most acclaimed current German painters. He states his birthplace to be Liberec (Bohemia). After his studies at the Werkkunstschule in Krefeld and the State Academy in Düsseldorf, he moved to Berlin in 1962. The expressive figurative pictures of the painter that were in direct opposition to the abstract tendencies of that time, gained gradually huge acclaim. In 1983, Lüpertz was given the Professorial Chair at the Summer Academy in Salzburg and in autumn 1987, he became the Rector of the State Artistic Academy in Düsseldorf. He holds this function till now.

(From left) Miloš Zeman, Ex-Prime Minister of the Czech Republic presented the Trebbia European Award for support of art in 2008 for His Majesty the King of Cambodia Norodom Sihamoni. The prize was accepted by H.E. Dr. Chem Widhya, Ambassador. <br><br><br> His Majesty Preah Bat Samdech Preah Boromneath NORODOM SIHAMONI (*1953) - Cambodian Kingdom <br><br> Norodom Sihamoni was born in 1953 in Phnompenh. He is the only monarch in the world who is fluent in Czech. In 1962, he was sent by his father, king Sihanuk, to study in Prague. He attended the Elementary school in Ostrovní Street, after that he studied ballet at the Conservatory and the Academy of Musal Arts. He performed in the National Theatre and also the TV Opera Brundibár. He sees Prague as his second home. In 1981, he founded a Dancing school in Paris and was a ballet teacher. From August 1993, he worked as the Ambassador of Cambodia at UNESCO. In 1994, he was given the title The Grand Prince by his father and 10 years later, he was crowned King of Cambodia.

(From left) Ondřej Černý, Director of the National Theatre Prague presented the Trebbia European Award for support of art in 2008 for the company ŠKODA AUTO, Inc. The prize was accepted by Reinhard Jung, Board Chairperson of ŠKODA AUTO, Inc. <br><br><br> ŠKODA AUTO, a. s. - Czech Republic <br><br> Škoda AUTO is one of the oldest car factories in Europe. It followed the tradition of the Laurin and Klement Company based in Mladá Boleslav, where cars had been put together since 1905. The Company currently manufactures four model sets and is with its 630 thousand sold cars one of the biggest exporters in the Czech Republic. The Škoda Auto Company states support of culture to be one of the crucial pillars of its social responsibility. Partners of Škoda Auto are for example the National Theatre, the Czech Philharmonia, the Prague Symphonic Orchestra FOK, The International Film Festival for Children and Youth Zlín, or the Smetana’s Litomyšl International Festival.

(From right) His Excellence Ochir Enkhtur, Ambassador of Mongolia in the Czech Republic accepted the Trebbia European award for creative activities in 2008 for Galsan Tschinag, writer. The award and cheque were presented by František Komárek, General Director of the MORAVSKÉ NAFTOVÉ DOLY Company and Petr Bratský, Member of the Subcommittee for Culture of the Parliament of the Czech Republic.

(From right) Olbram Zoubek, Sculptor and Laureate of the European Trebbia Award 2009 for creative activities. The prize was presented by Martin J. Stránský, Doctor, Pedagogue, Editor and Publicist. The cheque for the amount of 100 000 CZK was presented by Dr. Jutta Walter, Director of Commerzbank, Subdivision Prague. <br><br><br> OLBRAM ZOUBEK (*1926) - Czech Republic <br><br> The talent for art and the ability to mould materials was discovered in Olbram Zoubek by his Secondary school teacher Kužela. He also supported Zoubek to pursue his talent by studying at the Academy of Arts, Architecture and Design in Prague. Following his advice, Olbram Zoubek started studying in the studio of the sculptor Wagner in 1945: “The education and experience he gave me were the best things I could get,” says the master even after years. He finds inspiration in people around him. Man, woman, or family are his most used motives. In 1969, he cast the death-mask of Jan Palach. In 2002, he created the Victims of Communism Memorial that stands on the Petřín hillside. “I create people I think about. I try to clarify my relationship to them and to the world. Doing that, I try to understand myself,” states Olbram Zoubek.

On the screen: Galsan Tschinag, Mongolian Writer, Laureate of the European Trebbia Award 2009 for creative activities with a TV moderator in the studio Norddeutscher Rundfung in Hamburg are connected through the tele-bridge with the Smetana Hall in the Municipal House Prague. <br><br><br> GALSAN TSCHINAG (*1944) - Mongolia <br><br> Galsan Tschinag, a renowned Mongolian writer, poet and medicine man, was born at Christmas 1944 in the Altai Mountains in the small ethnic group of the Tuvins, a group with no written language of its own. After his studies in Germany, he returned to his native country and became Professor of the German language at the State Mongolian University. At the age of 36, the doctors discovered that Galsan suffered under a serious heart disease. This lead to the fact that he started to use the medicine-man abilities more intensively. Although, he currently lives in Ulaanbaatar, he spends a part of the year by travelling through Europe. He introduces his literary works mainly in German-speaking countries. He writes in the German language, but his books are translated to many world languages.

(From left) Jiří Bartoška, Actor and Director of the International Film Festival Karlovy Vary presented the Trebbia European Award 2009 for support of art to Norbert Auerbach, Film Producer and Ex-President of the United Artists Company. <br><br><br> NORBERT AUERBACH (1922 - 2009) - USA – Czech Republic <br><br> Norbert Auerbach knows that American dreams come true. A Native of Vienna, se spent his childhood at Barrandov, Prague, where his father worked as a pre-war producer. In 1939, the whole family moved to the USA. He studied Economy at the University in Los Angeles. After that, he joined the American army and spent four years fighting in Europe. He was wounded several times. After the war, he started working as an errand boy at the Columbia Pictures Hollywood Studio. Thanks to his hard work and determination, he worked his way up and finally became President of the United Artists Company. He participated on making of many successful films, such as Hair, West Side Story, or the Pink Panther, and he came up with the idea of filming a book about an agent in her Majesty’s Service, James Bond.

(From left) Ján Figeľ, member of the Council of Europe presented the Trebbia European award for support of art in 2007 to next Laureates: Mohammed Al-Qadiri, diplomat, cultural manager, writer and Thuraya Al-Baqsami, painter and writer. Ľubomír Bajaník, Moderator, Slovak TV. <br><br><br> THURAYA AL-BAQSAMI a MOHAMMED AL-QADIRI - Kuwait <br><br> Thuraya Al-Baqsami is a prize-winning formative artist and writer born in Kuwait. With 52 personal exhibitions world-wide, and over 200 collective exhibitions, Thuraya has proved to be a leading female Arab artist. World Prize of Salvador Dali was her latest award, among many others. She has written 15 books, which have been translated into all major languages. Her husband, Mohammed Al-Qadiri, also a writer, was a diplomat for 11 years with the Kuwaiti Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and has wide-ranging international connections. He also manages all of Thurayas artistic activities. They founded Ghadir Gallery in 1987, an establishment which proved to be a cultural bridge between Kuwait and the rest of the world. With their cultural ventures spanning Europe, Africa, Asia and America, they both demonstrate that there is more to the Arab Muslim identity other than desert, camels and oil.

(From left) Roman Bělor, Director of the International Festival Pražské jaro presented the Trebbia European award for support of art in 2007 for Česká spořitelna. The prize was accepted by Pavel Kysilka, associate director of Česká spořitelna. <br><br><br> ČESKÁ SPOŘITELNA – Czech Republic <br><br> The financial group of Česká Spořitelna has 5.3 million clients and it is the biggest financial institution with the longest history in the Czech market. Česká spořitelna spends significant amounts of money on support of social, charity, health, educational, cultural and sport projects. It supports charity non-governmental organizations, civil associations, beneficiary organizations, foundations and foundation funds. In 2001 it founded the Foundation of Česká spořitelna, whose objective is support of projects in the area of culture, education, science, public and social affairs, health care, communal activities, sports and ecology. In the cultural area it is a partner of musical festivals Prague Spring, Colors of Ostrava, opera festival Smetanova Litomyšl, Prague Theatre Festival of German Language or a long-term cooperation with Divadlo na Vinohradech in Prague.

William Lobkowicz, patron of arts received the Trebbia European award for support of the arts in 2007. And Jitka Novotná, moderator, Czech TV. <br><br><br> WILLIAM LOBKOWICZ (*1961) - USA-CZ <br><br> Since his family got back the property in nineties Mr. William Lobkowicz has been striving to open collections of the Lobkowicz family to the public. These collections are one of the biggest and most valuable private collections in the Czech Republic and Europe. Mr. Lobkowicz opened permanent exhibition at the castle of Nelahozeves and Lobkowitz Palace at Prague Castle. There are also works of Brueghel, Rubens, Canaletit, Beethoven and many other masters. Visitors can admire works from the artistic collection and particularly valuable collection from the Lobkowicz library at Roudnice both in the Czech Republic and abroad. At the castle of Nelahozeves every year there is the Festival Dvořákova hudební Nelahozeves, which is a tribute to the place where Antonín Dvořák was born and where there is his memorial.

(From left) Karel Gott presented the Trebbia European award for creative activities in 2007 for Mr. Ronnie Wood, guitar player of Rolling Stones band and painter. PhDr. MgA. Miro Smolák, Chairperson of the International Nomination Comitee Trebbia and Jitka Novotná, moderator, Czech TV.

Ronnie Wood, guitar player of Rolling Stones band and painter, Laureate of the Trebbia European Award for creative activities in 2007. <br><br><br> RONNIE WOOD (*1947) – Great Britain <br><br> Ronnie Wood was born in 1947 in Middlesex in an artistic family. Before his musical career with the Rolling Stones he graduated from the Ealing College of Art in London. Simultaneously with his musical career he has been painting and drawing. His most frequent motifs are musicians, portraits of friends and self-portraits. It is also natural to see him both with a pencil and guitar. In eighties in America he made his first woodcarving and series of monotypic prints. In 1987 he spent a couple of month in a professional print studio. Since then he has been dealing with different printing techniques. He exhibited in North and South America, Far East and Europe. In 1996 he had a big retrospective exhibition in the Museum of Modern Arts in Sao Paulo in Brazil.

(From right) Jiří Bělohlávek, chief conductor of the BBC Symphony Orchestra, London, Laureate of the Trebbia European Award for creative activities in 2007. The cheque for the amount of 100 000 CZK was presented by Dirk Kroonen, General director of Ernst and Young company and the prize was awarded by Josef Suk, violin virtuoso. <br><br><br> JIŘÍ BĚLOHLÁVEK (*1946) – Czech Republic <br><br> The conductor Jiří Bělohlávek has cooperated with all our renowned orchestras. Already at the age of 31 he became a conductor of the Prague Symphonic Orchestra FOK. From 1981 he was a conductor and later a musical director of the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra. In 1994 he founded the Prague Chamber Philharmonic Orchestra and he was an art director till 2006. From 1995 to 2000 he was a main hosting conductor of the BBC Symphony Orchestra in London and nowadays he is a chief conductor there. He hosted in orchestras in all the most prestigious music houses all around the world. He was awarded the prizes of Supraphon, Diapasson dOr and nominated for Grammy. In 2001 President Václav Havel awarded him a 1st grade medal for merits. Since 1995 he has been lecturing conducting at AMU, Prague, and he also is a president of the International Music Festival Prague Spring.

(From left) Jean Amiot, director of J. B. F. Editions d‘Art Paris presented the Trebbia European Award for creative activities in 2007 to Josef Nálepa, sculptor. <br><br><br> JOSEF NÁLEPA (*1936) – Czech Republic <br><br> Since 1962 the sculptor Josef Nálepa has been mainly working on public contracts in Prague. His versatile talent can be seen in selection of materials (bronze, stone, wood) as well as their processing. The range of his work covers sculptures larger than life-size, relief’s and small sculptures, medals, plaquettes and coins and design. Since the seventies his portraits have been a significant part of his work. His portrait of Salvador Dalí, who was a model for him in 1974, which was very rare, is famous. In last couple of years he has made many portraits of famous Czech actors and important personalities. Another important part of his work are drawings by Indian ink that in maximum way depict plasticity of his vision. He is a co-worker of renowned Czech architects and he helps to join monumental sculptures with contemporary architecture.

Václav Chochola, artistic photographer, Laureate of the Trebbia European award for creative activities in 2004. <br><br><br> VÁCLAV CHOCHOLA (1923-2005) – Czech Republic <br><br> He was born on 30 January in the Libeň district of Prague, which is where he studied realistic high school, where he actively devoted himself to sports and started to discover the charm of photography. In 1941 he left the studio at the high school and entered photographic apprenticeship at the studio of O. Erban in Prague’s Letná district, while simultaneously attending photography classes as the School of Graphics in Prague - Smíchov. Chochola created many images using unusual techniques (photograms, collages, rollages). He published his photography in the daily press, and apart from sports was dedicated mainly to photographing theatre and cultural events. His documentary images from the Prague Uprising in May 1945 are priceless. He portrayed leading Czech and foreign artistic personalities, and was made famous by his portrait of Salvador Dali. On 22 January 1970, he has arrested for photographing the grave of Jan Palach and sentenced to 5 years on probation. This was followed by a photographic crisis (partly due to the fact that his complete photographic equipment was confiscated). Than he devoted himself mainly to sorting and completing his archive. From 2003, there were many retrospective exhibitions. On 27 May 2005 he passed away after a brief illness at the Motol Hospital in Prague.

(From left) Juraj Jakubisko, film director presented the Trebbia European award for creative activities to PhDr. Jiří Vitula, musical critic, art historian and publicist. <br><br><br> JIŘÍ VITULA (*1925) – Czech Republic <br><br> After graduating from classical high school and majoring in philosophy, history, musical history and ethnography at Masaryk University in Brno, he continued his professional specialisation at universities in Denmark, Italy and Bulgaria. He launched his career as a journalist working as a UN reporter during the trial with president Tiso in Bratislava, then shifting his activities permanently to the cultural sphere. He defended two rigorous theses on the topic of culture at Charles University in Prague. He then developed extensive medial and initiative activities in the function of head of the cultural section of Lidová demokracie, which found acclaim abroad. This concerns in particular the formation of international music and opera festivals (Prague Spring, Bratislava Music Festival, Osterfestspiele Salzburg, Festival van Vlaandern). At the same time, he worked as an author on international co-production documentaries (Vyšehrad Codex, Johannes Kepler, Vltava, Master of the Týn Altar). With the SCARS artistic group, he created audiovisual projects for the world expositions in Montreal (1967 - Kinoautomat), Osaka (1970) and Teheran (1972 – Shahyaad), for which he was highly acclaimed. These activities were accompanied by interaction with prominent personalities – Marlene Dietrich, Gina Lollobrigida, Pablo Picasso, Iranian shah Reza Pahlavi and others. He devoted one of his six historical popular literary works to his cooperation with phenomenal conductor Herbert von Karajan.

(From right) Daniel Libeskind, architect and Laureate of the Trebbia European award for creative activities in 2006 at official visit in the residence of Mr. Pavel Bém, Lord Mayor of the City of Prague. <br><br><br> DANIEL LIBESKIND (*1946) - USA <br><br> Daniel Libeskind was born in a Jewish family in Lodge, Poland. When he was a child he moved to Israel and later he settled down in USA. He was interested in music, but then he turned to architecture. In 1989 he won a competition with his project of a Jewish Museum in Berlin. Then he got prestigious orders from all around the world. At the moment he is working on the project - Memory Foundations, because he won the most prestigious competition of architects for a project at the former World Trade Centre in New York. He also made a project with the working title Palace of Arts Dalineum, which the MIRO Gallery intends to build in Prague. Daniel Libeskind says: Architects must be quick and optimistic…They construct a better world and more beautiful places. They must listen to the Earth.

Prof. PhDr. Miroslav Klivar (1932), art historian received the Trebbia European award for creative activities. <br><br><br> MIROSLAV KLIVAR (*1932) – Czech Republic <br><br> Miroslav Klivar was born in Košice in 1932. He is an art theorist and historian, artist and writer. He graduated from the Faculty of Philosophy and History at Charles University in Prague in 1955 and spent many years as a pedagogue at schools of art. In 1955-60, he was an assistant at the Academy of Fine Arts in Prague, in 1960-69 he acted as expert assistant at the Academy of Musical Arts in Prague, and in 1969-90 he worked as an assiastant at the Institute of Industrial Design in Prague. He worked externally at the Secondary Industrial Arts School in Prague 3, at the University of Fine Arts in Bratislava and at the West Bohemian University in Pilsen. Since 1960, he has been exhibiting his works at home and abroad. He has been a professor of the World Information Distributed University of Brussels since 1999, and an academic at the Accademia internationale Il Convivio in Italy since 2005. In the years 1990-2003, he was the president of the Masaryk Academy of the Arts in Prague. Furthermore, he is at the head of the European “Franz Kafka” Circle, since 1995 he has been the president of the European Union of Art and from 1998 he is a member of the International Order of the Knights of St. Constantine the Great. He has been awarded many medals and awards and published countless works of expert literature in arts and aesthetics.

(From left) Klaus von Trotha, ex-minister for science, research and art for Baden-Württemberg presented the Trebbia European award for support of arts in 2006 to Michael March, writer, poet and president of the Prague Writers’ Festival. <br><br><br> MICHAEL MARCH (*1946) - USA-CZ <br><br> There is hardly any poet or writer that has not personally met or at least spoken over the phone with Michael March. March puts together bookmen, readers and ideas. He has been doing it already for 25 years. He was born in New York. However he has always been fascinated by European literature, so after his studies he moved to Europe. He was significantly helping writers form Eastern Europe – to those who could not have published – also in former Czechoslovakia. His work is also famous – e.g. Child of Europe and Description of One Match. In 1980 in London he founded a festival that later moved to Prague – Festival of Writers Prague that has become prestigious. The poet and organizer of international literary life is its president.

Famous sculptor Emma de Sigaldi received the Trebbia European award for creative activities in 2005 (in the middle). <br><br><br> EMMA DE SIGALDI (*1911) - Monaco <br><br> Her avant-garde sculptural work has brought her general acclaim in Europe, America and Asia. She was born in German Karlsruhe and soon discovered a talent for art, especially music and dance. She began her artistic career as a dancer. She designed costumes and created her own choreography to the modern music of Bartók, Rachmaninov, and others. After marrying Count de Sigaldi of Monaco, she focused all her artistic energy on a new area that captivated her - sculpture. She works with bronze and marble, again with her own individual style. She moves from figurative to highly expressive abstraction. As she herself puts it, you need bold plans in sculpture. Her bronze and marble sculptures are located in the centre of city squares and parks practically all over the world. In 2005, she donated a sculpture entitled Blue Flower to the City of Prague, which is located on Slunečné náměstí in Prague 13.

(From left) Prof. Robert Descharnes, photographer, Salvador Dalí’s biographer, Laureate of the Trebbia European award for creative activities and Karel Gott, singer. <br><br><br> ROBERT DESCHARNES (*1926) - France <br><br> Robert Descharnes was born in 1926 in Nevers, France. He is a photographer, maker of avant-garde films and main biographer of Salvador Dalí. In 1950 he met Gala and Salvador Dali on a steamboat on their way to the United States and then their cooperation started. For example they made the film Fabulous Adventures of a Laceworker and Rhinoceros dedicated to Dalí’s theory about the logarithm spiral. They continued cooperation on publications and film projects about Dali. When in the 80s there was an avalanche of fake Dalí’s works, Dalí authorized Robert Descharnes to manage the company Demart, that removed the fakes from the markets and nowadays it controls authenticity of his works. He is an author of the monumental biography, Dalí, man, work.

(From left) Vladimír Vihan, ex-mayor of Prague 1 presented the Trebbia European award for support of arts in 2005 to Richard H. Mayer, art collector and owner of Kunstgalerien Böttingerhaus Bamberg. Next to them is PhDr. MgA. Miro Smolák, Chairperson of the International Nomination Comitee Trebbia and Marie Retková, moderator. <br><br><br> RICHARD H. MAYER (*1933) - Germany <br><br> Trained as an art dealer in Munich. He began organising exhibitions in 1958, establishing contact with the avant-garde in New York and soon began to work with Andy Warhol. In 1960, he began to visit Salvador Dali regularly and to build his collection, which is one of the largest private collections in Central Europe today. In 1972, he opened an art gallery and museum at the Böttingerhaus Chateau in Bamberg – partner city to the City District of Prague 1. To mark the 100th anniversary of Salvador Dali’s birth in 2004, he organised one of his largest retrospectives at the Bruchsal Chateau near the City of Baden-Baden. The exhibition covered 50 years in the life and work of Salvador Dali. The exhibition then moved to the State Museum in Moscow and National Art Gallery in Budapest. As well as Dali’s work, MIRO Gallery visitors have also had the chance to see Marc Chagall’s Illustrations for the Bible and the world famous cycle of etchings by Francesco Goya from the Böttingerhaus Museum collection.

(In the middle) Sculptor Amri Aminov received the Trebbia European award for creative activities in 2004. <br><br><br> AMRI AMINOV (*1966) - Tajikistan – France <br><br> Artistic ambitions and desires led Tajik-born French sculptor, Amri Aminov to Paris, the capital of art, at the beginning of the 90s, where he works to this day. He is a graduate of the Academy of Art in St. Petersburg and has been sculpting intensively for two decades. His work is exhibited at the Academy of Art Museum in St. Petersburg, at the Israeli National Museum in Tel Aviv and is represented in many private collections in the USA, Europe and Asia. He often works with leading world organizations. For example, he created the Cities for Peace Prize for UNESCO. He is also the creator of the Trebbia statuette. He is currently completing a monumental sculpture for the Parisian quarter of Saint Germain en Laye, where he works and lives with his family. He was awarded the Masaryk Academy of Art Award for Creative Activity in 2001 and is also a laureate of the European Franz Kafka Medal.

Rudolf Čižmárik, poet, writer and journalist, Laureate of the Trebbia European award for creative activities in 2004. <br><br><br> RUDOLF ČIŽMÁRIK (1949 - 2008) - Slovakia <br><br> This Slovak poet was born into a baker’s family (1949, Šoporňa), but throughout his entire life his daily bread was literature and art. He studied aesthetic education and the Slovak language at the Philosophical Faculty of Charles University in Bratislava, worked for the Czechoslovak Radio Company, the Pravda daily and the Slovak Press Agency. In 1971, he debuted with the collection Amazements in Stone and has written 16 books of poetry and prose to date, including the bilingual collection Horiaca ruža-Die brennende Rose (Burning Rose). He was the curator of numerous art exhibitions at home and abroad. He is engaged in translation, reporting and essaying on literature and the fine arts, e.g. 13 Statutes by T. Bartfay, Double Life. His verses have also been published in 10 languages and he has participated in numerous European poetry festivals.

(From left) Art historian Prof. František Dvořák received the Trebbia European award for creative activities in 2004. Gala evening was moderated by Marek Vašut. <br><br><br> FRANTIŠEK DVOŘÁK (*1920) – Czech Republic <br><br> František Dvořák was born in 1920 in Červenka u Olomouce. In the years 1945-1949, he studied history of the arts and aesthetics at the Philosophical Faculty in Prague as a pupil of Antonín Matějček, Josef Cibulka and Jan Mukařovský. Shortly afterwards, he took the function of assistant to professor V. V. Štech for eight years at the Academy of Fine Arts, and concurrently lectured on history at the FAMU in Prague. In 1958, he was expelled from this activity for political reasons, and only after two years was employed as an expert at the National Gallery. From there, he was able to return to his pedagogical work at the Secondary Industrial Arts School in Prague in 1963, and later in 1969 he won the competition for senior professor at the Palacký University in Olomouc, where he acted until 1985. In 1991, he was granted a professorship at Charles University in Prague, where he works in the department of cultural theory at the Philosophical Faculty to this day. He is the author of 35 books on fine arts, of which about one third were published abroad. For example, his monography on drawings by Hans Holbein was published twice by Cercle d’Art in Paris, and his monography on H. Matisse was published by Vorum Verlag in Vienna and simultaneously in Japan. He also cooperates with Czech Television, for which he prepared a ten-part documentary series dedicated to the history of Charles Bridge.

Miro Voštiar (*1947), art collector and businessman received the Trebbia European award for support of arts.

(From left) Dr.h.c. Jean Amiot (*1949), Director J.B.F. Editions d’Art Paris, France received the Trebbia European award for support of arts. Gala evening was moderated by Marek Vašut and the prize was presented by Osmany Laffita, fashion designer.

(From left) Jiří Paroubek, ex-prime minister of Czech Republic presented the Trebbia European award for creative activities to Mgr. Ladislav Ballek, writer, Ambassador of Slovakia. Gala evening was moderated by Marie Retková. <br><br><br> Mgr. LADISLAV BALLEK (*1941) - Slovakia <br><br> Mgr. Ladislav Ballek has been the Slovakian Ambassador to the Czech Republic since 2001. In the past, he was a member of the National Council of the Slovak Republic and lectured at the Faculty of Education at Comenius University in Nitra and at the Academy of Performing Arts in Bratislava. He has written nine novels, which have been translated into dozens of languages and two books of articles and essays. He is a member of the Independent Writers’ Club and the PEN Club in Bratislava. Ladislav Ballek holds the Slovakian state decoration – the Pribina Cross, 2nd class. In 2002, he received the European Union of Arts Award as a “major novelist and cultural publicist.” The Matěj Bel University awarded him an honorary degree, Doctor honoris causa, and he is also a laureate of the Matěj Hrebenda Prize for his major contribution to fostering solidarity between Czechs and Slovaks. In 1998 he ran for the office of President of the Slovak Republic.

(From left) Juraj Jakubisko, film director, Cornel Boda, general director Cobra, Ltd., Laureate of Trebbia European award for support of arts and Burkhard Dallosch, director Commerzbank AG - branch office Prague, Laureate of Trebbia European award for support of arts.

(From right) Juraj Jakubisko, film director presented the Trebbia European award for support of arts to the Royal Canony of Premonstratensians at Strahov. The award was accepted by Michael Josef Pojezdný, O. Praem., abbot.

Ing. Věra Kudynová, PR Manager (second from right) accepted the Trebbia European award for support of arts for pharmaceutical company Zentiva, a.s. <br><br><br> ZENTIVA, a.s. <br><br> Zentiva is a modern international pharmaceutical company, whose mission is to help to extend the quality care, in particular the primary care. They combine their effort to improve the population’s health with the support for the arts and culture. They have been supporting the international music festival Prague Autumn for a long time. They also support the international music festival Pontes, whose concerts take place at UNESCO monuments. For the third year they have been supporting the Central European Festival Febiofest. The company sponsored conservation of original sheets of music by Bedřich Smetana and Antonín Dvořák. They are not forgetting to support the visual arts – for example the gallery of Jiří Anderle. At the company’s premises there are held exhibitions of renowned contemporary artists, graphic designers and photographers.

(From left) Blanka Matragi, fashion designer presented the Trebbia European award for support of arts to Ing. Zdenek Grondol, Chairman of the Board Greyhound Company. Gala evening was moderated by Marie Retková. <br><br><br> Ing. ZDENEK GRONDOL (*1952) – Czech Republic <br><br> Ing. Zdenek Grondol is the founder and CEO of the joint stock company, CZECH International, which has been in operation on the Czech and European market for 15 years. Over the years, he did not only managed to build a successful business company, but to also tirelessly support the arts, for which he received the Masaryk Academy of Arts Prize in 2002 and the European Union of Arts Prize in 2004. In his position as CEO, Zdenek Grondol has actively supported the short-term import of classic works of incalculable value, by the world’s great masters, to the Czech Republic, at a time when, prior to the Czech Republic joining the European Union, such loans required guarantees of millions of crowns to the state. He thus made it possible for the Czech public to see works by such masters as Picasso, Chagall, Braque, Miró, Dalí, Warhol, and others.

Radovan Morochovič, owner (second from right) accepted the Trebbia European award for support of arts for the company Fopex Slovakia, Ltd. <br><br><br> FOPEX SLOVAKIA, Ltd. - Slovakia <br><br> Fopex Slovakia has been doing business in engineering for 10 years already. It supplies its customers all over Europe with forms for aluminium and plastic casts. The founder and corporate agent is Mr .Radovan Morochovič. 3 years ago he founded a second company, Fopex Plastic, which supplies plastic pressings to the automotive industry. Radovan Morochovič has always supported culture and arts, for example the international project Dreams and Teams, whose objectives are to teach the youth to work in teams and to pursue their personalities; they support the Children’s Organization Fénix focused on culture, sports and tourism; and the Technical University at Košice. The company helps to organize artistic exhibitions at the Presidential Palace in Bratislava and International Art Festivals at Snina.

(From left) Juraj Jakubisko, film director presented the Trebbia European award for support of arts to Ing. Michal Štefl, general director, OHL ŽS, Inc.

(From left) Ing. Jaroslav Hába, general director ZČE, Inc. received the Trebbia European award for support of arts. Gala evening was moderated by Marek Vašut.