JOSEF SUDEK: GLASS LABYRINTHS

Curator: Jan Mlčoch
Graphic design: Štěpán Malovec

The Czech photographer Josef Sudek (1896 Kolín – 1976 Prague), who had lost his right arm in the trenches of World War I, met with glass in its infinite forms early on in his career. The first time was as early as the 1920s, during his studies at the State School of Graphic Arts in Prague, when he photographed landscapes and the city, but also staged and photographed his first still life compositions. In the interwar period, Sudek became one of the most sought-after publicity photographers and he collaborated, principally in 1928–1938, with the publishing house Družstevní práce (Cooperative Work) and its Krásná jizba (Beautiful Room) trade branch. He staged glass products made after designs by Ladislav Sutnar, Ludvika Smrčková and other designers into neat rows and groups – all in keeping with Functionalist purity and the dictates of commercial advertising.