An important Slovak sculptor of the first half of the 20th century and the founder of Slovak modern sculpture. He was born in 1878 in Voderady (near Trnava)  in a family of  a teacher František Koniarek and Mária (with maiden name Csaszna). In 1894 – 1906 he completed art studies at academies of arts in Prague, Budapest (prof. Alojz Štróbl) and Munich. In 1906 – 1914 he worked in Serbia as a teacher at schools in Čačak and Belgrade. He actively participated in exhibition events of Serbia. He focuses mostly on reliefs and portraits (Portrait of a father, 1905; Last breath, 1906; Head of John the Baptist, 1906 – 1912), as well as portraits of important Serbian celebrities (poets and writers: Dragutin Iljič, Jovan Dučič, Milorad Pavlovič-Krpa; painter Uroš Predič). During World War I he was wounded (1915) and after its end Koniarek returned to his sister to his hometown – Voderady (1918). In 1924 he relocated to Trnava where he stayed until his death. From 1978 the gallery in Trnava carries his name – Gallery of Ján Koniarek in Trnava where a permanent exposition of his works is located (2002).
Ján Koniarek, after becoming familiar with the Central European area, brought elements of secession symbolism and strong lecture of post-Rodin soft modelling of sculptural shape (Satyr 1925 – 1930; Drinking man; Avalanche, after 1930). He created a collection of portraits and plastic art with symbolic expression such as Mrs. Sessler (1925), Suffering-Game keeper (1941), Voice of uprising (1944). In the 1930s the focus of his creation moves to historical-national themes which he elaborates in more traditional spirit. As he himself wrote, the mission of an artist is to “become the conscience of the nation” and create “...stone history of Slovak nation” (Sculptor and nation; 1937). From the monumental execution the significant ones are: Monument of M. R. Štefánik in Trnava (1924), Monument of Ján Hollý in Borský Mikuláš, Monument of those killed in the World War I in Trnava (1929), Memorandum Relief in Martin (1931 – 1933), Monument of Anton Bernolák in Trnava (1936 – 1937). Three monographs were dedicated to his work (K. Vaculík, 1944; F. Štefunko, 1955; Z. Bartošová – Ľ. Belohradská et al., 2007).

 Vladimír Beskid