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Art Nouveau Prague

Art Nouveau Prague

Current price: $30.00
Publication Date: October 30th, 2020
Publisher:
Karolinum Press, Charles University
ISBN:
9788024642932
Pages:
200

Description

Since the collapse of the Iron Curtain in 1989, Prague has become one of Europe’s—and the world’s—most popular tourist destinations. As in London, Paris, and Rome, visitors flock to the gorgeous buildings and monuments that grace the streets of Prague, entranced by structures ranging from Gothic and baroque to cubist and neoclassical. And while hundreds of thousands stroll over Charles Bridge and gaze up at St. Vitus Cathedral each year, far fewer venture away from the crowds to seek out the countless gems of art nouveau peppered throughout Prague.

With Art Nouveau Prague, Petr Wittlich—one of Europe’s leading experts on nineteenth- and twentieth-century architecture—tours those monuments and buildings of Prague that are most representative of the art nouveau movement while offering insightful commentary on each. Along the way, Wittlich visits such sites as the Municipal House, the Wilson Railway Station, the Grand Hotel Europa, and works by sculptors František Bílek, Ladislav Šaloun, and Stanislav Sucharda.

An introductory essay by Wittlich emphasizing the role of art nouveau within contemporary currents of modern European art accompanies more than one hundred color illustrations of some of the most stunning examples of art nouveau architecture and decoration in existence, and a detailed bibliography provides additional reading for each of the sites displayed in the book. Art Nouveau Prague is a must-have for those traveling to Prague for the first time or for anyone who appreciates or wants to learn more about art nouveau style.

About the Author

Petr Wittlich is professor of art history at Charles University, Prague. Petra Key holds advanced degrees in both English and Czech literature from Charles University, Prague. In addition to her work in translation, she is an academic director for the Council on International Education Exchange.

Praise for Art Nouveau Prague

“The color images of this small paperback are intelligently selected and gorgeously reproduced; the professionalism of Maly’s photography is evident in every page. Most heartening, the authors include not just a checklist of the illustrations but also precise addresses for the structures, making the book attractive and useful.”
— West 86th: A Journal of Decorative Arts, Design History, and Material Culture

“For many years Wittlich has been the most respected art historian of his generation in the Czech lands.”
— Otto M. Urban, National Gallery Prague