The Vaculka ceramic relief has returned to the Zlín department store

Zlín - The ceramic relief by painter and sculptor Vladislav Vaculka (1914 to 1977) has returned to the renovated Zlín Department Store. The work from the turn of the 1950s and 1960s was originally located inside the department store, but after the renovation, it is now placed outside on a wall at one of the entrances to the building. Although the author was a regional creator, his work is very interesting and progressive, said art historian Vladislava Říhová to reporters today.

According to Říhová, the relief made of ceramic tiles is interesting both in its material and for the fact that it created the decoration of the department store during the time of the building's renovation. The work emerged after the period of socialist realism and is influenced by contemporary artistic movements that responded to the Expo exhibition in Brussels in 1958. "This is evident in both the colors and the composition of the relief," said Říhová. The relief depicts people shopping as well as resting at home. Vaculka used clay from nearby Tupes, which is famous for its ceramics. "He admired Picasso, which is reflected in this work, for example, in the faces of the figures in the relief," Říhová noted.

Restorers began dismantling the relief in spring 2017, and during the subsequent reconstruction of the department store, it was stored in a depository. The building was constructed by the Baťa company in 1931 according to the design of architect František Lydie Gahura, and during the renovation, the building's original appearance was restored. The building reopened to the public last November.

According to restorer Miroslav Bodanský, it was necessary to re-grind and reattach the individual tiles to a backing. The tiles were in quite good condition, but some were broken or had chipped parts. "They needed to be glued, filled, and then retouched and grouted," Bodanský stated. Almost the entire surface of the mosaic was repainted, and the varnish had yellowed; the glaze on the tiles was distorted. The varnish therefore needed to be removed.

Experts say that the outdoor placement of the relief is not a problem. "The relief was originally located by the staircase between the first and second floors. With the new layout of the shopping arcade, it was necessary to find another, dignified, and sufficiently large place for it, which was accomplished by modifying the outdoor spaces under the shelter at one of the entrances. The entire renovation of the department store was carried out with respect for its original appearance and the historical legacy of the building. The rescue of the relief and its return to public space were important from our perspective and that of the conservationists," said Radovan Pilich, the managing director of the department store.

According to Říhová, it is not common for private investors to return artworks from the socialist era to the building during renovations or modifications. Works are often destroyed during renovations, or smaller works are placed in depositories. Larger works created for architecture often have nowhere to be relocated.

In Zlín, there are other works by Vaculka, such as a painting in the Moskva hotel, a sculpture located in the Podhoří area, a mosaic on Tomáš Baťa Avenue, and he also designed tapestries for the interior of the Zlín theater.