He was born on 8 October 1927 in Rajec (Žilina district). He was a sculptor and painter. In terms of his work, he is associated with the Mikuláš Galanda Group, of which he is a founding member.

From 1947 to 1949 he studied at the Slovak University of Technology in Bratislava, then from 1949 to 1954 at the Academy of Fine Arts and Design. The central period of his sculptural work was the 1960s. He later turned to drawing and painting. A characteristic feature throughout his entire body of work is a deep connection with nature and the village. His wooden sculptures draw inspiration from rural subjects. These archetypal wooden sculptures tap into the genius loci of a given place. Kompánek developed the concept of “protective deities” of the home, totemic symbols, and abstracted forms from his surroundings — particularly from vernacular architecture and trees. A recurring motif is the female figure and field signs (e.g. Forest Madonna, 1966). In his paintings, he frequently depicted the motif of carnival masks. An important part of Kompánek’s work are wooden toys which, through their simplicity, approach the idea of futuristic toys for adults. Some of these the artist also realised in larger formats for children’s playgrounds, for example in Piešťany.

He died on 20 January 2011 in Bratislava.

In Prievidza, on the Píly housing estate, Kompánek’s sculpture Reading Girl (bronze, 1956) stands in front of the Business Academy on Fraňa Madvu Street, alongside two sgrafitos — female figures on a residential building on Štefánikova Street: the side wall facing J. C. Hronský Square and the side wall facing Trhová Street.