Showing through Sunday, March 31, 2019 at the Memorial Art Gallery of the University of Rochester, New York, featuring such masters as Jaromír Funke (Czech, 1896–1945) and Josef Sudek (Czech, 1896–1976), icons in the history of modernism,“Modern Czech Photography: A Portfolio” is a rare body of work by some of the most important mid-century Czech artists.
The portfolio holds special historic importance because it was published in 1943, during World War II and the Nazi occupation of Czechoslovakia, which was founded in 1918, after World War I.
Czech photography used new imagery, materials and techniques to create works of art reflecting the realities and hopes of modern societies. Works by Funke and Sudek remained largely unknown throughout the German occupation and World War II (1938–45), and during the Soviet domination of Czechoslovakia and the Eastern Bloc following the war. The so-called Velvet Revolution of 1989 brought an end to the Communist regime; awareness of the distinctive art traditions of the country now called the Czech Republic, quickly flourished.
For more information, call 585.276.8900 or see: www.mag.rochester.edu