Antonín Blažek (1874-1944) - architekt Brna a Hodonína

Antonín Blažek (1874–1944) belongs to the generation of architects who began their careers around 1900. He studied in Prague under Friedrich Ohmann at UMPRUM, later moving to Vienna to the Academy of Fine Arts, where he focused on neo-Gothic architecture under the guidance of Viktor Luntz. Here, he also encountered the works of Otto Wagner, who laid the foundations of Art Nouveau architecture.
After returning from Vienna, he settled in Královo Pole (which is now part of Brno) and established himself as a modern architect, bringing contemporary Viennese trends to Moravia. He became the creator of a number of public buildings (e.g., Hotel Slavia in Brno, the Jubilee School in Komín, the Sokolovna in Boskovice, churches in Bílovice nad Svitavou and in Brno-Komín). Between 1911 and 1913, he designed the House of Artists in Hodonín, which blends modern forms and functionality with decorative elements borrowed from folk architecture. In the twilight of the monarchy, Antonín Blažek established himself alongside Emil Králík and Dušan Jurkovič as one of the most prominent Czech-speaking modern architects in Moravia.
The exhibition offers a perspective on Antonín Blažek's work as a creator of buildings that intertwine an emphasis on maximum functionality with the application of a wide range of stylistic elements. This formal pragmatism is the reason why the author is not easy to classify within the contemporary currents and why he has not yet received greater attention in the history of Czech architecture.
Curatorial team: Jan Galeta, Martin Šolc, Tomáš Valeš, Miroslav Divina
Architectural solution for the exhibition: Karolína Munková, Zuzana Šperlová
Graphic design: Nela S. Klímová
Photography 2025: Polina Davydenko
The exhibition is under the auspices of the Governor of the South Moravian Region, Jan Grolich.
The project was supported by the Ministry of Culture of the Czech Republic, the South Moravian Region, and the city of Hodonín.