The exhibition presents Cubism, the only movement that originated in the Czech Republic

Prague - Czech architectural cubism, the only architectural movement that originated in the Czech lands, is being presented from today in the Prague Gallery of Jaroslav Fragner. It focuses on the most significant period from 1911 to 1914. It will showcase prominent figures of cubism and their works: Pavel Janák, Josef Gočár, Vlastislav Hofman, Josef Chochol, and Emil Králíček.
    The dominant focus of the exhibition is on Prague buildings, but the exhibition and catalog will also present several structures realized in other cities or locations in the Czech Republic.
    The exhibition consists of 33 panels that will familiarize visitors with cubist design, unrealized projects, and the further development of this movement after 1918. For the exhibition, which will last until February 11, the organizers have prepared a catalog in both Czech and English. The catalog contains black-and-white photographs by photographer Ester Havlová, who is among the leading authors dealing with architecture. The exhibition and the texts for the catalog were prepared by architectural historian Zdeněk Lukeš.
    Since 1909, Prague has become the second center of European cubist art, right after Paris. Not only Prague sculptors and painters responded to the impulses from Parisian cubists, but also architects, design and furniture designers, scenographers, poets, and writers. Prague, which was an important spiritual and artistic center of Europe at that time, transformed these impulses into an architectural style that is unique and emerged during the period of European expressionist architectural modernism, said the exhibition's author.
    Czech architectural cubism is now at the center of interest for experts and amateurs around the world. It represents a bizarre chapter in the development of modern architecture of the 20th century, labeled as a dead end, yet still very inspiring, according to Lukeš. The basic postulate was created in 1911 by the prominent Czech architect Pavel Janák (1882 to 1956), who critically responded to the then-rational creations in the modern style of Jan Kotěra. Although cubism did not thrive in architecture, several buildings were created.
    The exhibition continues previous projects that Lukeš had prepared for the Gallery of Jaroslav Fragner. The exhibitions Debt Repayment - Prague and its German-speaking Architects 1900 - 1938 and Emil Králíček - The Forgotten Master of Art Nouveau and Cubism met with great public interest. Both also present Prague architecture abroad. They have been repeated or will still be held in Berlin, Chicago, Munich, Rotterdam, or Vienna.
    A unique architectural style is also represented by the Museum of Czech Cubism, which operates in the cubist House at the Black Madonna by the National Gallery in Prague. Two years ago, for example, the museum hosted an exhibition by Zdenek Primus on the manifestations of cubism in book typography.
    The largest showcase of Czech cubism to date was the international project Cubism in Prague 1909-1925. An exhibition of this name took place in Düsseldorf in 1991 and had a Prague reprise in 1992 titled Czech Cubism 1909-1925.