BiographyVladimir learned to play violin and started to sketch and paint, particularly when forced to convalesce by a touch of tuberculosis in 1952. By the time he was sixteen he knew that he wanted to go to Bratislava, the capital of Slovakia, to study at the Arts and Crafts Institute. Boarding at the Institute, Vladimir got sucked into the artistic and bohemian way of life just emerging in the city, and in 1959 was successful in entering the Academy of Fine Arts. The sixties saw Vladimir shine as one of the most talented students producing cutting edge and innovative work as part of the pan-European artistic avant-garde.