Databáze uměleckých výstav v českých zemích 1820 – 1950

In the spring of 1937, the Prague Museum of Decorative Arts hosted the Exhibition of Young Slovakia, which showcased the work of the School of Applied Arts (Škola umeleckých remesiel, ŠUR). The exhibition aimed to introduce Czech audiences to the modern art education that had been developing in Bratislava since the late 1920s as a unique experiment at the intersection of art, craft, industry, and progressive pedagogy.

The ŠUR was founded in 1928 by the Bratislava Chamber of Commerce and Industry, an association of local entrepreneurs and administrators who aimed to promote economic development in Slovakia. The school's primary founders were Josef Vydra, the school inspector for art education in Slovakia at the time, and Antonín Hořejš, a Chamber of Commerce and Industry representative responsible for applied arts. Together, they formulated the concept of the school as a modern, practice-oriented art institution. Vydra led the ŠUR from its inception, and in 1930, when it merged with Bratislava's Apprentice Schools, he became director of both institutions. The school emerged in response to the shortage of art education in Slovakia and quickly became a center of modernist education with direct connections to contemporary European trends, particularly the Bauhaus movement. From its original three evening drawing courses, the ŠUR expanded by 1938 to include eight evening departments (graphic arts, photography, painting, ceramics, fashion and textiles, metalworking and woodworking, and window dressing) and three regular departments focused on window dressing, fashion, textiles, and film. The school also included a special children's department that mirrored the structure of adult instruction.

A significant feature of the ŠUR was its international connections and openness to modern ideas. Through the personal contacts of its faculty, the school hosted lectures and exhibitions by prominent European theorists and artists such as László Moholy-Nagy, Jan Tschichold, Karel Teige, Ladislav Sutnar, Hannes Meyer, and Ernő Kállay. [Mojžišová, pp. 125–137] The ŠUR regularly participated in domestic and international exhibitions, including the world exhibitions in Brussels (1935) and Paris (1937), where it represented Czechoslovak applied arts. [Prešnajderová, p. 45]

The Prague exhibition featured an extensive collection of works by students across all departments of the school. The individual sections emphasized the thematic and technical diversity of instruction at ŠUR. The children's department, led by Ľudovít Fulla (painting), Mikuláš Galanda (drawing), Julia Horová (ceramics), and František Malý (textile art), presented children's artwork that was sophisticated in terms of colour and form. This was seen as proof of thoughtful pedagogy and the ability to nurture talent in young students. [Bednár 1937, p. 6] The exhibition showcased graphic and typographic works created under Zdeněk Rossmann's direction, including advertising posters, commercial printed materials, book covers, and promotional materials. The photography department presented portraits and photographs of industrial products. The painting department was primarily represented by banners and signage; however, their figurative elements were criticized by contemporary reviewers as formulaic. [Bednár 1937, p. 6] The fashion and textile department demonstrated particularly impressive results, including drawings, pattern designs, and templates created using modern techniques. The exhibition also included ceramic work by students guided by Julia Horová, including vessels and figurative pieces.

The window dressing department presented a remarkable element in the exhibition. František Tröster led the department from 1937, having previously headed the metalworking department since 1934. He developed an innovative approach to stage design for shop windows, teaching students to compose them as theatrical stages with an emphasis on space, material, and the effective use of lighting. [Bednár 1937, p. 6]

The Exhibition of Young Slovakia was not merely a showcase of student work; it was also a testament to the exceptional educational concept of Bratislava's ŠUR. In the context of interwar Czechoslovakia, the exhibition demonstrated modernism in Slovakia and symbolized cultural cooperation between Czech and Slovak milieus. At the same time, it fulfilled one of the school's key objectives: to establish itself as a center connecting art, craft, and industry, as well as a prominent and confident institution within the modern Czechoslovak cultural landscape. Participating in domestic and international exhibitions was part of Josef Vydra's strategy to support the professional placement of graduates and raise the public profile of ŠUR as one of the most modern art-pedagogical projects in Czechoslovakia. [Prešnajderová 2020, p. 45]

Lucia Kvočáková

Works Cited

Iva Mojžišová, Škola moderného videnia. Bratislavská ŠUR 1928–1939, Bratislava 2013.

Klára Prešnajderová, ŠUR – bratislavská škola, ktorá sa nebála moderny, in: Simona Bérešová – Klára Prešnajderová – Sonia de Puineuf, Škola ako laboratórium moderného života. K reforme umeleckého školstva v strednej Európe (1900–1945), Bratislava 2020, pp. 30–53

Štefan Bednár, Výstava mladého Slovenska v Prahe, Elán VII, 1937, no. 9, p. 6

bt, Mladé umělecké Slovensko v Praze, Lidové noviny XLV, 1937, no. 242, 14.5., p. 2

Kostel ve stěhovacím voze, Večer XXIV, 1937, no. 114, 15.5., p. 5

Mladé Slovensko v Praze, Polední list XI, 1937, no. 134, 15.5., p. 2

S., Výstava mladého Slovenska, Večer XXIV, 1937, no. 127, 1.6., p. 4

Výstav mladého Slovenska, Letem světem XI, 1937, no. 34, 1.6., p. 18

Výstava mladého Slovenska v Prahe, Národní osvobození XIV, 1937, no. 107, 7.5., p. 6

Výstava mladého Slovenska, Národní osvobození XIV, 1937, no. 110, 11.5., p. 6

Výstava mladého Slovenska, Večer XXIV, 1937, no. 135, 10.6., p. 4