05.06.2012 12:00:29 | The painter Tomas Bim and Prostejov match together well. His painting became the main motive of UniCredit Czech Open. Next year, it will be twenty years since Prostejov Club started to cooperate with Tomas Bim. He was given an offer for his lithographs to be an artistic representation of Czech Open in Prostejov. “I amit I couldn’t decide how Prostejov was standing in terms of tennis. My heart was captured by Stvanice then,“ said Bim. “But during the first longer evenings with the Mirek Cernosek’s team, and with a glass of Jack Daniels, I became clear to me that they were great enthusiasts. Moreover, and it’s rather rare in this area, I found a few art-lovers among them,“ said Tomas Bim in reference to beginning of their mutual cooperation. He has held several exhibitions in Prostejov. The World Around Us, an exhibition presenting Group 42, was a great success. The Group involved e.g. Kamil Lhotak, Frantisek Gross, Jan Kotik, Frantisek Hudecek, and Bohumir Matal.
In December 1999, near to Karlstejn Castle, Mirek Cernosek christened Tomas Bim’s book: Inventory II. Still before then, he was one of those who opened an exhibition at the occassion of Bim’s 50th birthday in Vltavin Gallery. His lithographs had already accompanied CENTROTEX Challenger for three years (since summer 1994). The poster and all tournament publications were adorned with his tennis motives. “I know that Tomas loved the old Stvanice. He used to sit in the local bar and discuss how the world should proceed with Jirka Hrebec early in the morning. No objection. We in Hana Region also often think after a few of shots of rye that the globe will revolve as we wish. I saw him wondering on our the courts in an early morning with a strange blissful expression on his face. I had not slept well either, but he was looking at the morning clay in a completely different manner. When I screw up my eyes I could see a comfortable bed with nicely made sheets. But it was as if he was seeking tennis legends dressed in long white pants in the morning mist of the clay-court sprayers, for whom the joy of tennis was on the first place. No reckless tie-breaks. No objection, even though my comprehention of tennis at that time was mainly about sponsorship contracts, titles, and necessary the professional rankings. Then he came to our place to see the exhibition of Alfonse Mucha’s posters, had long debates with Honza Kukal on the art and use to say to Ivan Lendl, who was a sponsor of our exhibition, that he must really be a big shot to save time for making a great poster collection in between grandslam tournaments,“ said Mirek Cernosek. “Tomas has been to Prostejov many times since. His paintings also adorn tennis areal at Sparta. Usian Bolt, the biggest athletic superstar, also bought one of his paintings. He’s a friend and an inseparable part of Prostejov.“
