Lawyer, art lover, and president of the Czech-Israeli Mixed Chamber of Commerce Pavel Smutný has passed away.
20 \ 05 \ 2024
It happened early in the morning on Sunday, May 19th, at the age of just shy of 65, due to the consequences of cancer, which he had been battling for the past several months.
Pavel Smutný is considered one of the icons of Czech advocacy. After graduating from the Faculty of Law at Charles University in Prague, he focused on studying international law and worked as an external OECD expert for the New Democracy program. His name is closely associated with one of the largest Czech law firms, Portos (formerly Císař, Češka, Smutný), which he co-founded in 1993 together with his two partners Jaromír Císař (65) and Zdeněk Češka (†93).
For several years, he was actively involved in international chambers of commerce. Since 2009, he served as the president of the Czech-Israeli Mixed Chamber of Commerce and made significant contributions to strengthening Czech-Israeli relations. In 2011, he initiated the establishment of the Arnošt Lustig Award, which the Czech-Israeli Mixed Chamber of Commerce annually presents to a Czech citizen who, in a manner similar to Arnošt Lustig, has made exemplary contributions to maintaining and developing societal values.
He also left a profound mark on Czech culture, which he supported throughout his life. In 2009, together with his partners, he founded the BOHEMIAN HERITAGE FUND, a foundation that has since regularly contributed to the development of Czech art. He was the initiator of the St. Vitus Cathedral Community, aimed at raising funds for the construction and installation of new organs.
Pavel Smutný was also a member of the National Theatre Council, the board of trustees of the International Opera Festival Smetanova Litomyšl, and a board member of Friends of the Domaine de Chantilly. He was a recipient of the prestigious Israeli Jerusalem Award, which he received last year as the first Czech in history, the French Order of Arts and Letters for promoting French culture, and the Czech State Decoration of Merit, 1st Class.
