New Formations – Czech Avant-Garde Art and Modern Glass (discounted)
New Formations: Czech Avant-Garde Art and Modern Glass / ISBN 9780300169966 / Discounted but like new / large 320-page hardcover, about 10.5 x 12.5 inches, published by Museum of Fine Arts Houston
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In 1928 Czech artists Jindrich Štyrský and Toyen published the Artificielismus (Artificialism) manifesto, calling for “new formations” in contemporary art. The term aptly reflects the spirit of adventure that Houston philanthropists Roy and Mary Cullen brought to forming a comprehensive collection devoted to the radical developments of Czech art in the first decades of the twentieth century. New Formations: Czech Avant-Garde Art and Modern Glass from the Roy and Mary Cullen Collection profiles this endeavor, highlighting more than 150 examples from this extraordinary collection, which encompasses paintings, drawings, prints, collages, photographs, artist-produced books, and rare examples of modern glass.
Generously illustrated with full-color plates, this catalogue highlights the major figures of the Czech avant-garde, including Josef Šíma, Karel Teige, Jindrich Štyrský, and Toyen, among many others. Scholars Karel Srp and Lenka Bydžovská bring to light the complex evolution and artistic exchanges of this era, which saw the emergence of the uniquely Czech movements of Devetsil, Poetism, and Artificialism, as well as these artists’ engagements with Surrealism and other major intellectual currents of the time. Particular attention is given to artists’ publications, and a number of period texts have been translated for this catalogue as well. The authors also place the Czech avant-garde in a larger historical context, as World War II and cold war shifts in the political landscape doomed many of these artists to decades of obscurity and exile.
In addition, the publication features an extended interview with Roy and Mary Cullen conducted by Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, curator Alison de Lima Greene and an insightful essay by Jan Mergl, an expert in Bohemian glass, discussing the stylistic and technical evolution of modern Czech glass reflected by works in the Cullen collection.
“[T]he most comprehensive English-language look at this period of art, illuminating a long-ignored field. A satisfying volume for lovers of Czech culture and readers who want to increase their knowledge of early 20th-century European avant-garde art.”—Kathryn Wekselman, Library Journal
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