Paviljon Bosne i Hercegovine na Svjetskoj izložbi u Parizu 1900. Rodine
In its first section, the book traces the phenomenon of world expositions in the second half of the 19th century, with a focus on the largest and for a long time the most important world’s fair held in 1900 in Paris. All the other texts are devoted chiefly to the exposition’s Pavilion of Bosnia and Herzegovina, which – to a large degree – was also a political manifestation of sorts, as the Austrian Monarchy wished to demonstrate the progress that the previously underdeveloped region of the Balkans had achieved under Vienna’s administration. The pavilion was constructed after the plans of the Czech architect Karel Pánek and most of the interior decoration was the work of Alphonse Mucha, another Czech artist living in Paris. His large canvases, which hung on all four walls of the upper storey, depicted the history of these lands, reflecting their strong influence of various religions and cultures: Paganism, Classical and Christian traditions, and Islam. Contrary to the pavilion as such (as was also the case of the pavilions representing other countries, including their interiors), Mucha’s paintings have survived and are now in the possession of the Museum of Decorative Arts in Prague. Following their partial restoration, the paintings – whether as a whole, or only some of them, have been shown to the public on various occasions since 1998 at exhibitions held in Prague, Vienna, Montpelier and Munich.
The book was published by UPM in partnership with The Luka Praha Association, under the auspices of the Embassy of Bosnia and Herzegovina in the Czech Republic.
author of the concept: Petr Štembera
texts: Jan Brabcová-Orlíková, Christian Richet, Jasna Šamiç, Petr Štembera, Filip Wittlich
edition: English-Bosnian-Serbian
photo: Ondřej Kocourek a Gabriel Urbánek (UPM), Ota Palán, Mucha Trust
graphic design: Patrik Svoboda
format: 30 x 20.2 cm, hard cover
pages: 168
reproductions: 50
ISBN (UPM): 978—80-7101—154-5
price: 600,- CZK