Cubism & Art Deco in Prague

Set of furniture for Josef Gočár (Josef Gočár, 1912-1913); table lamp (Alois Kubiček, 1914); Museum of Czech Cubism, Prague

Introduction

Architectural Cubism is a purely Czech phenomenon. It was the promoted by the members of the Group of Fine Artists, founded in Prague in 1911. The most important architects of the group were Pavel Janák, Josef Gočár, Josef Chochol and Vlastislav Hofman. Janák formulated the theoretical basis for the style in architecture. Most of the Cubist structures were built between 1912 and 1914 in Prague and elsewhere. The second wave of construction followed World War I.

Cubist architecture is characterised by the use of hard geometrical, often crystalline, shapes and ornaments, such as triangles, pyramids, cubes and prisms. The Cubists believed that objects had their own inner energy, which could be released by splitting or slicing horizontal and vertical surfaces. This can be seen mostly in the outer appearance of buildings, especially in the design of windows and doors. It did not have much effect on the ground plan of the buildings, but was used as a decorative style in the interiors, most notably in vestibules and staircases.

Cubism was also in interaction with other contemporary styles. There are many examples of buildings that show Cubist details in the general Art Nouveau framework. Sometimes Cubist architects combined the fragmentation of form with the subjectivism and dramatism of Expressionism. After World War I it is often difficult to draw a clear line between Cubism and Art Deco.

After the war, when Czechoslovakia gained its independence, Cubism developed into a style that was very different from what it was originally. Although it was promoted by the same architects, the main concern was no longer about the plastic modelling of the surfaces. Instead, façades were covered with colourful ornaments, which were often of semicircular or cylindrical shape, giving the style the name of Rondocubism. We can also see the reappearance of figurative images on the façades in this period. Unlike the pre-war Cubism, which was a specifically created intellectual movement, the new style had a popular nature and nationalist undertones, which is why it is often called the National Style. All these buildings are generally described under the umbrella term of Art Deco. The style was dominant in the 1920s, until it gradually faded away in favour of Functionalism.

As for Cubism, my main guide was the book Czech Architectural Cubism by Zdeněk Lukeš and Ester Havlová (Prague: Jaroslav Fragner Gallery, 2006).

Sites

My portfolios contain photos of 22 Cubist and 15 Art Deco structures in Prague.

House of the Black Madonna | Ovocný trh 569/19, Prague 1 – Old Town | Josef Gočár, 1912-1913
Stach & Hoffmann House | Tychonova 269/4 & 268/6, Prague 6 – Hradčany | Josef Gočár, 1912-1913
Kovařovic House | Libušina 49/3, Prague 2 – Vyšehrad | Josef Chochol, 1912-1913
Hodek, Bayer & Belada House | Rašínovo nábřeží 42/6, 47/8 & 71/10, Prague 2 – Vyšehrad | Josef Chochol, 1912-1913
Hodek Apartment Building | Neklanova 98/30, Prague 2 – Vyšehrad | Josef Chochol, 1913-1914
Neklanova 56/2 | Antonín Belada, 1913
Wall & kiosks of the Ďáblice Cemetery | Ďáblická 564/2a, Praha 8 – Střížkov | Vlastislav Hofman, 1912-1914
Diamond House | Spálená 82/4, Prague 1 – New Town | Emil Králíček, 1912-1913
Cubist street lamp | Jungmannovo náměstí, Prague 1 – New Town | Emil Králíček, 1912-1913
Bethlehem Chapel in Žižkov | Prokopova 216/4, Prague 3 – Žižkov | Emil Králíček, 1912-1913
Mrázek Villa (Vila na Libušince) | Rašínovo nábřeží 50/26, Prague 2 – Vyšehrad | Emil Králíček, 1912-1913
Na Baště sv. Ludmily 247/13 | Emil Králíček, 1912-1913
Rašínovo nábřeží 407/36 | Miroslav Buriánek, 1912-1914
Rašínovo nábřeží 406/38 | Miroslav Buriánek
Mánes Bridge fountains | Mečislav Petrů (architect) & Emanuel Halman (sculptor), 1913-1914
Railings of the Upper Embankment | Hořejší nábřeží, Prague 5 – Smíchov | 1913
Kučera family tombstone in the Olšany Cemetery | Vinohradská 1835/153, Prague 3 – Žižkov | c. 1918
Švanda Theatre in Smíchov | Štefánikova 57/6, Praha 5 – Smíchov | Ladislav Machoň, 1918-1920
Materna Factory Administration Building | Dělnická 313/20, Prague 7 – Holešovice | Rudolf Stockar, 1919-1920
Apartment buildings of the Teachers’ Cooperative on Elišky Krásnohorské 10-14 | Otakar Novotný, 1919-1921
Portal of the former Trade Union Building | Na Perštýně 347/11, Prague 1 – Old Town | Alois Dryák, 1919-1922
DOPZ cooperative housing | Polská 1751/56-58, Prague 2 – Vinohrady | 1921-1922
State Railway Directorate Building | Křižíkova 552/2, Prague 8 – New Town | Vojtěch Krch & Gustav Kulhavý, 1920-1922 |
Hořovský Villa | Na Lysinách 48/2, Prague 4 – Hodkovičky | Pavel Janák, 1921-1922
Myšák Building | Vodičkova 710/31, Prague 1 – New Town | Josef Čapek, 1922
Czechoslovak Legio Bank Building (Archa Palace) | Na poříčí 1046/24, Prague 1 – New Town | Josef Gočár, 1920-1923
Růžová 947/8-10 | Bohumír Kozák, 1922-1923
Bank of Brno | Jindřišská 1308/15, Prague 1 – New Town | Josef Gočár, 1922-1923
Apartment building of the Teachers’ Cooperative on Kamenická 811/35 | Otakar Novotný, 1923-1924
Čapek Villa | Bratří Čapků 1853/28 & 1854/30, Prague 2 – Vinohrady | Ladislav Machoň, 1923-1924
Radio Palace | Vinohradská 1789/40, Prague 2 – Vinohrady | Alois Dryák, 1922-1925
Former Telephone & Telegraph Central Office | Fibichova 1500/19-21, Prague 3 – Žižkov | Bohumír Kozák, 1921-1926
Adria Palace | Jungmannova 36/31, Prague 1 – New Town | Pavel Janák & Josef Zasche, 1922-1926
Rondocubist kiosk in the Vrchlický Garden | Bolzanova, Prague 1 – New Town | Pavel Janák (?), 1920s
Palace Akropolis | Kubelíkova 1548/27, Prague 3 – Žižkov | Rudolf Václav Svoboda, 1927-1928
Škoda Palace | Jungmannova 35/29, Prague 1 – New Town | Pavel Janák, 1926-1929
Faculty of Law of the Charles University | Náměstí Curieových 901/7, Prague 1 – Old Town | Jan Kotěra (plan) & Ladislav Machoň (execution), 1924-1931