Karel Klíč

Karel Václav Klíč (sometimes written Karl Klietsch, May 30, 1841, Hostinné - November 16, 1926, Vienna) was a Czech painter, photographer and illustrator. He appears to be known as one of the inventors of photogravure (hlubotisk in Czech).

Klíč has such artistic talent that he was admitted into Art Academy in Prague at age of 14. For mocking up superiors he got soon expelled and finished the school only in 1862. Klíč worked as photographer, caricaturist and illustrator in Brno, Budapest and Vienna, all the time trying to improve technology of picture reproduction. During last night of 1877 he discovered, by chance, process leading to photogravure. He further improved the process in 1890, when working in England.

External links

• Very short biography
• Biography (in Czech)
• Description of photogravure