The launch at Nexus Multicultural Arts Centre on 4th December was well attended and provided a succession of talks about the press, by the publisher, Adam Dutkiewicz, the launcher, Maria Zagala, Associate Curator of Prints, Drawings & Photographs at the Art Gallery of South Australia, the author, Stephen Mould, and Olga Sankey, daughter of the artist Voitre Marek.

Maria Zagala’s speech summarised the book and Stephen Mould’s research and conceptual orientation in its writing. She said:

“Stephen Mould’s careful research – in particular in the Czech Republic – has unearthed previously unknown, and until now unpublished material. These include student works by Dusan Marek, photographs of the brothers and their family, and perhaps most importantly, the discovery of a series of sketches and drawings made by Voitre while the brothers were interned in the Dillenberg refugee camp in Germany. These illustrations are a revelation, their publication will serve to broaden the appreciation of both artists work.

The scholarship in the book is tempered by what can only be described as a deep regard for the humanity of both men. This seems particularly important in a book about lives that have been marked by the dislocation of the refugee experience. Mould’s ability to convey the texture of the artist’s lives is evident throughout the book. He includes written accounts by both artists of their long voyage to Australia in 1948, a difficult, traumatic time during which the Voitre and Dusan produced some of their most powerful works.

I congratulate Stephen on writing a beautiful book. Although Dusan’s work has come to wider prominence in the past decade with major exhibitions on Surrealism staged by state galleries, the legacy of both artists still needs to be written into the broader accounts of Australian art history. This book will play an important role in securing and extending the reputations of both artists. And I congratulate Adam Dutkiewicz on the publication of this fine, and beautifully illustrated book by Moon Arrow Press. His commitment to researching and publishing the history of modern art in South Australia – and in particular the contribution of émigré artists – will be a source for generations to come.”

Stephen Mould talked about the genesis of the book and how his interest in the art of the brothers evolved. Olga Sankey told amusing stories about the surrealist ambience that surrounded the brothers and the “European gentlemen” who worked as assistants, recounting an instance that concerned a sulphur-crested cockatoo and a cast concrete sculpture of it.

Thanks to all involved on the night and to all the people who helped in the forging of the book.