Alex Adolf Jelínek, painter, printmaker, illustrator, and writer, was born on April 25, 1890 in Strmilov near Hradec in what was once Austria-Hungary. After the death of his mother he was sent to live with relatives in Pócátky, where from 1902-'04 he studied at the ceramics school in Bechyn. Following graduation he worked for a time at the Graniton ceramics factory before moving to Prague, where he studied at the School of Applied Arts, obtaining his masters degree under K.V. Mǎska. He then traveled to Munich and studied under Professor A. Janek at the Academy of Art, but the First World War put an end to his studies and he retuned to Prague. There enroled at the Prague Academy of Painting and began studying graphic art under M. Švabinský. 

In 1919 he began using signing as simply "Alex," and formally changed his name to A. JA lex. He became a successful portraitist and graphic artist, and became a member of the Association of Visual Artists Mánes and the Union of Visual Artists. He was granted a scholarhsip from the Zeyer Fund of the Czech Academy of Sciences and Arts in 1923, and in 1924 he participated in a Czech graphic arts exhibition in Paris.

He continued to live and work in the Czech Republic and was known for his depictions of the Czech countryside, as well as religious and folkloric imagery, horses, and architecture. He exhibited frequently in group and solo shows throughout his career. His work is represented in the National Gallery in Prague.

Alex Adolf Jelinek died on September 2, 1957 in Prague, Czech Republic.