New Realisms. Modern Realist Approaches across the Czechoslovak Scene 1918–1945

The term New Realisms refers to a broader spectrum of the period realist approaches, including the areas of work traditionally referred to as Neoclassicism, Verism, New Objectivity, social art, magic realism and primitivism and, in photography, especially the New Vision. In terms of content, these are often depictions of modern life and its transformations in connection with the development of technology, the emancipation of women, the possibilities of travel, communication and entertainment. These works respond both to the social success of the newly emerging middle class and to the pressing social problems of an economically divided society.

The intention of presenting these modern realist approaches from the Czechoslovak space is linked to recent similar projects in Germany, Italy, Austria and the USA, with which the Czechoslovak scene, anchored in the Central European space, corresponds in some respects, but at the same time bears its own regionally conditioned specifics. The project follows works that formally and in terms of their content are related and reflect the modern realist tendencies of the 1920s, which until recently have largely stood aside from the predominantly Francophone interpretation of the development of art history in Czechoslovakia. The exhibition at the Municipal Library will present paintings, sculptures, drawings and prints, with a separate section devoted to photography and film, including period magazines.