Anton Cepka
Slovakian, 1936–2022
Anton Cepka spent much of his life in a repressive society, yet in his jewelry, he pursued an independent, innovative vision. He was born in 1936 in Šulekovo, Slovakia. In the 1950s, Cepka studied woodcarving at the School of Applied Arts in Bratislava, then received additional training in metalworking at the Academy of the Arts, Architecture, and Design in Prague. His contemporaries included other jewelry luminaries represented in the DMA’s collection, like Zdeňka Mašatová and Vratislav Karel Novák. In Prague, he met his wife, Jana Cepková, who also became a prominent artist (see 2014.33.65).
Cepka faced a considerable challenge in creating contemporary jewelry. The communist government restricted access to his preferred material—silver—so it was available only in very small quantities. Yet Cepka’s creativity helped him overcome constraints. While his pieces contained a limited amount of silver, Cepka delicately manipulated the precious metal to produce dazzling, detailed designs.
Many of Cepka’s brooches, including several held by the DMA, draw inspiration from 20th-century technologies. They recall radios (2014.33.62), radar systems (2014.33.61), and space probes (2014.33.356). Cepka was especially fascinated by aviation, and his works often resemble futuristic flying creatures (2014.33.58, 2020.45.7). He noted, “pieces of jewelry, objects that I create, all bear the signs of the time. . . . they reflect the hyper-technical world of today.”
Cepka’s process often began by making sketches. (See 2024.7.4, 2024.7.5, and 2024.7.6). As he explained, “the point of departure is always the drawing which, however, only offers the basic coordinates.” Then, Cepka would refine his artistic concepts in three dimensions. As he explained, “work is a type of game, and the end product often varies significantly from the basic idea.”
Occasionally, Cepka worked on a large scale. He designed kinetic sculptures, including one for a children’s playground in Bratislava. As he shifted from one medium to another, however, Cepka’s vision remained constant. In his playground sculpture, as in his brooches, Cepka deftly layers grids and geometries. Compare the photograph above to 2014.33.355 or 2014.33.61.
During his lifetime, Cepka won renown. Despite the difficult political situation in his homeland, Cepka began exhibiting internationally in the 1960s. In 1978, he had a solo exhibition at Inge Asenbaum’s Galerie am Graben in Vienna. Asenbaum called him, “a great artist and special person gifted with the modesty of a genius.” (Asenbaum collected works by Cepka, his wife Jana Cepková, and their son Matúš—see 2014.33.64 and 2014.33.65.) In the 1990s, after communism collapsed, Cepka established the metal and jewelry department at the Academy of Fine Arts and Design in Bratislava and cofounded the Slovakian Association of Jewelers. He shaped the contemporary jewelry world indelibly. Although Cepka died in 2022, his influence resonates, and his works continue to intrigue. Artists, wearers, and viewers are still inspired by his ingenuity and his fantastical forms.