Vlasta Matoušová

"My mother's maiden name was Schücková, with a 'u' with umlaut. So they didn't even invite her to the exams for UMPRUM (Academy of Arts, Architecture & Design in Prague) during the war, when she was finishing graphic design school, because they were sure that she’s Jewish. So somehow, well, my grandfather, he actually had to have a family tree done up to about the third generation. For example when my mother was taking some drawing classes and there was a gentleman there and his name was also Schück, coincidentally, and it's apparently a Jewish name. He took her aside and asked her what her mother's maiden name was. When she said 'Poprová', the man said: 'Schück und Poper, das muss eine jüdische Familie sein'. So apparently no Jewish religion was observed in that family, but the question is whether there were any roots."

"In 1989, when things were already loosening up, take perestroika for example, there was an exhibition in Jablonec, at the convention center I think. I don't know if it was just Liberec artists or North Bohemian artists in general, well, an exhibition. It really was something that didn’t used to happen before. I just remember that we went there with my parents and then we took a bus to Paseky. My father, who of course listened to Free Europe and the Voice of America, was telling me something that I guess I wouldn’t get from those radios of ours at all. But I just remember that there was some kind of demonstration when the show was over. I was taking my paintings back to Vratislavice in a tram and the tram was crammed. It was full of young people who just, I don't know. So I was like, well, yeah, I can't really go, because I have to pick up my son from the kindergarten and I have to take this, so I couldn't even participate in anything even if I wanted to. I have to tell you, it’s not like I had big illusions about it, I don't know. It's true that one sort of rather dealt with things, I don't want to say it this way, but as one normally does. I didn't have any great expectations that there were wonderful things to come."