From Czech Cubism to the Paris Expo of 1925

Czech modernism first found its own feet in the Czech Cubist movement, led by architects and designers Josef Gocar, Pavel Janak, Vlastislav Hofman and Josef Chochol. In around 1910, this group of young radicals began applying the Cubist principles of Braque and Picasso to architecture and the applied arts, as well as to paintings and sculpture. Their distinctive, angular designs can be found in everything from cups and saucers, desks and chairs to villas and office buildings. In this they were internationally unique – nowhere else in the world was Cubism applied so completely.

The dramatic repercussions of the First World War, however, inspired a new direction. Independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire and the establishment of the Czechoslovak Republic in 1918 led artists and designers to try to develop a national, truly Czech style. Influenced by a new enthusiasm for country fables, they moved gradually from the earlier Cubo-expressionism to a decorative rondo-Cubist style – even folklorish in places. This more decorative style found its way into all areas of applied art from architecture, through furniture and furniture accessories to posters and book covers. Along with the artists listed above František Kysela (fabrics, carpets, posters, book covers) and Jaroslav Horejc (glass) also produced many beautiful works during the twenties.

This decorative period in Czech applied art peaked with the great success of the Czech pavilion at the 1925 Paris Exposition Internationale des Arts Décoratifs et Industriels. The number of awards and medals won by the Czechoslovaks was second only to that scooped by the French.

The rise of functionalism

But the Paris Expo was the climax and thus the beginning of the decline for the Czech decorative style. In the second half of the 1920s, its main protagonists, particularly Josef Gocar, and the new generation of architects and designers (Jindrich Halabala, Antonin Heythum, Bohumil Juznic, Jaromir Krejcar, Antonin Kybal, Ladislav Sutnar, Jan Vanek and Ladislav Žak) adopted the rising functionalism as their style. Both generations were significantly influenced by Dutch/Russian constructivism, the trend-setting work of Le Corbusier and – most of all – the Bauhaus. With only slight exaggeration, you can say that from then on functionalism dominated Czech architecture – at least in the area of public buildings and state commissions – until the end of the 20th century.

Brussels style

In the post war years, Czech applied art suffered terribly under the Communist regime which in its paranoia was unable to distinguish avantgarde, originality and progress from counter revolutionary gestures and pro-western idealism. But although planned economy and exciting design are poor bed fellows and in times of material shortage, the quality of applied art is not usually a priority, Czech designers managed to create under the influence of Scandinavian and modern American design their own distinctive if not entirely original style. It became known as Brusel or the Brussels style – after the 1958 Exhibition in Brussels at which Czechoslovakia exhibited a circular restaurant building with a terrace and a range of stylish applied art objects.

Glass

Throughout the entire 20th century, glass had a development all of its own. Its tradition, the availability of the raw materials, skilled workers and production facilities and its attractiveness as a lucrative hard currency export, made it too difficult for even the Communist regime to contain. Glass, however, is not our area of expertise...

What does Modernista offer?

At Modernista, you can find, depending on availability, something from each of these periods. The rarest pieces are Cubist from the early 20th century. The furniture was made to order only – and the majority of orders came from a tiny group of the artists' friends and colleagues and a few enlightened tycoons. Objects such as decorative boxes, ashtrays, vases, and tea and coffee sets were made in limited series. Whatever has been preserved is usually in museums and state galleries or so religiously treasured by private owners that it is rarely for sale. If anything happens to come on the market, Modernista is usually in the know.

Czech Art Deco

Modernista's most frequent pieces come from the period 1925 to 1945 – when Czech mass-produced furniture had its own distinctive style. With functionalism being the predominant influence, Czech furniture of the period was less decorative and more angular than its French or Belgian equivalent, to complement the clean lines of the buildings. Walnut was the most popular veneer and furniture was very well made. What it lacked in light elegance, it made up for in simplicity and functionality. On the other hand, Czech steel-tube functionalist furniture is often decorated with curvy bits and other frivolous additions which would have been banned outright by the Bauhaus.

Mücke-Melder, Slezák and Thonet

Apart from the furniture designed for the mass-market, there were also many stylish, classically simple pieces produced in the thirties. For instance the most important furniture manufacturer of the time, the Brno-based UP, made pieces based on original plans from forward-looking designers such as Jan Vanek, Jindrich Halabala and Hana Kucerova-Zaveska. Other names worth mentioning are architect Ladislav Zak and the glass and porcelain designer Ladislav Sutnar. Manufacturers of steel-tube furniture such as Mücke-Melder in Frystat and Slezak in Bystrice pod Hostynem were licencees of the German manufacturer Thonet. They made – alongside their own designs – pieces by Marcel Breuer and Mart Stam for which Thonet had the rights.

Restoration

While Cubist furniture is left unrestored, in museum condition (being too valuable for normal use now), pieces from 1925 to 1945 are always worth restoring because they can work just as well now in an interior as they ever did. Modernista considers restoration its forte. We work with first-class local restorers who produce excellent quality at reasonable cost, and understand the importance of the pieces and how they should be treated. Our restoration process ranges from re-finishing lacquered surfaces and polishing original chrome to full-scale re-veneering, stripping and re-lacquering, and re-plating. Whatever the extent of the work we try to achieve a look and feel that is as close to the original as possible. It is not always possible as many technologies widely used in the 1930s are nowadays banned for ecological reasons but we always strive to find suitable alternatives. As all upholstered furniture undergoes complete restoration, it is possible to meet special orders for fabrics and leather.