Databáze uměleckých výstav v českých zemích 1820 – 1950

The third exhibition of the Mánes Association members in 1900 can be regarded as a milestone, a forceful emergence of a strong artistic generation that confidently embraced the principles of modernism in both art and the way it was installed (the exhibition architecture was designed by Jan Kotěra). The exhibition jury set strict rules, selecting 139 works by 29 artists, of which only five were women. Particular emphasis was placed on works by František Bílek. The large set of his carvings, sculptures, drawings and stoneware vessels presented an “exhibition within an exhibition,” installed in large part inside a central, dark sky-blue cubicle that took up almost a third of the overall exhibition space. This way, Mánes demonstrated its generous support for strong artistic voices and their right to freely express themselves. Among the painters at the exhibition, Jan Preisler captured most attention with his triptych Spring, a work that opened the path to the modern decorative synthetism. Critics referred to it as the exhibition's centrepiece and an example of a new type of painting that is neither descriptive nor illustrative and rather than originating from “accumulated knowledge and borrowed metaphysics,” stems from the “condensed core.” [Mádl 1900] The exhibition also featured mature works by other important artists who set the direction of Mánes's artistic efforts – painters Slavíček, Hudeček and Švabinský, sculptors Sucharda and Šaloun. Bohumil Kafka, whose works were amply reproduced in the previous volume of Volné směry, was not represented because Josef Václav Myslbek forbade his student at the Academy to send their sculptures to the Mánes exhibition, even though he otherwise encouraged them to exhibit in Rudolfinum. Typically of the period, the show contained prints, among which Preissig's etchings and Kupka's lithographs stood out, as well as examples of applied arts.

All reviews praised Kotěra's exhibition design which brought new qualities to the Prague milieu. Kotěra respected Otto Wagner's conviction that paintings should hang within the viewer's natural visual field. He arranged the individual works based on their inner relations, giving the clear, open space a unified and intimate character. The draped, sheer fabric covering the multi-colour glass ceiling created a subdued, diffused light, while the walls were covered with ecru canvas decorated with a subtle golden design; the canvas had a different colour in each of the show's three sections. Kotěra fulfilled Mánes's collective intention to create a model exhibition, for which Mánes was ready to pay with its own funds despite fears that the show would end up with a deficit. The catalogue only contained a list of artworks. K. B. Mádl's introduction to the exhibition appeared in the first issue of the fifth volume of Volné směry, which also published numerous reproductions of exhibited artworks, views of the exhibition and a reproduction of the Art Nouveau poster by Vladimír Županský.

Mánes members did not contend themselves with the existing circle of art lovers. Rather, they wanted to cultivate their own audience. Under the influence of English reformers headed by Ruskin, they also targeted workers when promoting their exhibition. Thanks to Antonín Macek from the newspaper Právo lidu, Mánes members obtained addresses of workers' associations, influential individuals and magazines and made them part of their campaign. On October 21, Právo lidu published Mánes's appeal to workers, intended as an invitation to the exhibition and guided tours for the public. Admission fee was reduced by a half for workers and students (15 kreutzers, that is, 30 hallers). This promotion was a success: workers formed one quarter of the show's 4,254 visitors. While the exhibition was attended by 1,153 workers, only 352 students came to see it, including students of art schools and high school students. The exhibition ended up with the deficit of 438 guldens – Mánes spent 1868 guldens to organize it and the profit from the sale of artworks amounted to 1032 guldens.

As planned, the show was then moved, in a modified version, from Prague to Vienna where it was opened in the Künstlerhaus at the beginning of December 1900. Jan Kotěra and the publisher Jan Štenc took care of the installation. The Viennese show was more commercially successful than the Prague version and it was also praised in the press – Richard Muther, who wrote a review for the weekly Zeit, later regularly informed the Viennese public about Mánes's activities. Even more importantly, Mánes established friendly contacts with the Hagenbund which, in this period, became the second Art Nouveau group to revolt against the Künstlerhaus. In the following years, Mánes established a collaboration with the Hagenbund. The third Mánes members' exhibition thus helped Mánes assume a prominent position in the Czech art world but it also brought international recognition.

Lenka Bydžovská

Works Cited

Mádl 1900: M. [Karel Boromejský Mádl], „Manes“ uspořádal svoji třetí výstavu…, Zlatá Praha XVII, 1899–1900, no. 50, 19. 10., p. 600

Further Reading

Alena Adlerová, K počátkům českého plakátu. Výstavní plakáty S. V. U. Mánes 1898–1908, Sborník prací Filosofické fakulty brněnské univerzity, řada uměnovědná X, 1961, no. F5, pp. 367–376

Jiří Kotalík (ed.), Tschechische Kunst 1878–1914 (exh. cat.), Mathildenhöhe, Darmstadt 1984, Volume 2, pp. 61–68

Jiří Kotalík, Čtyři generace SVU Mánes. K 100. výročí založení spolku, in: idem (ed.), SVU Mánes. Výstava k 100. výročí založení (exh. cat.), Svaz českých výtvarných umělců – Národní galerie, Praha 1987

Karel Boromejský Mádl, Úvodem ku třetí výstavě, Volné směry V, 1900–1901, no. 1, pp. 1–2

Karel Boromejský Mádl, Umění včera a dnes [II]. Pětadvacet výstav „Manesa“, kronika deseti let 1898–1908, Praha 1908, pp. 33–52

Roman Prahl – Lenka Bydžovská, Volné směry. Časopis pražské secese a moderny, Praha 1993, pp. 11–20

Petr Wittlich, Česká secese, Praha 1982, pp. 7–20

Archival Sources

Prague City Archives, Fonds Spolek výtvarných umělců Mánes, Výstavní činnost, Složky jednotlivých výstav [Exhibitions, Files of the Individual Exhibitions], inv. no. 3959, sign. 4.1, file 43 – Soupisy vystavených děl I. – III. výstavy [Lists of Exhibited Artworks from Exhibitions I – III] 1898–1900, link:

http://katalog.ahmp.cz/pragapublica/permalink?xid=77C1681D220E11E0823600166F1163D4

Prague City Archives, Fonds Spolek výtvarných umělců Mánes, Výstavní činnost, Složky jednotlivých výstav [Exhibitions, Files of the Individual Exhibitions], inv. no. 3965, sign. 4.1, file 43 – Členská

výstava [Members' Exhbition] 15. 10. – 15. 11. 1900, link: http://katalog.ahmp.cz/pragapublica/permalink?xid=785EA0CF220E11E0823600166F1163D4

Anonymous author, III. výstava Spolku výtvarných umělců „Mánes“, Volné směry IV, 1899–1900, p. 206

Anonymous author, Třetí výstava spolku výtvarných umělců „Manes“, Národní politika XVIII, 1900, no. 288, 18. 10., p. 4

Anonymous author, III. Umělecká výstava spolku „Manes“, Národní listy XL, 1900, no. 312, 11. 11., p. 2

Anonymous author, Třetí výstava spolku výtvarných umělců „Manes“, Katolické listy IV, 1900, no. 314, 15. 11., p. 5

Anonymous author, Třetí výstava spolku výtvarných umělců „Manes“, Volné směry V, 1900–1901, no. 1, pp. 23–24

Anonymous author, Dvě statistiky, Volné směry V, 1900–1901, no. 3, p. 69