Fine Arts in Zlín during the 1930s and 1940s

Abstract

During the 1920s, when Zlín was undergoing rapid transformation from a rural town into a modern industrial and cultural center, fine arts played almost no role. Artistic life in Zlín began to develop in interesting ways only in the first half of the 1930s, mainly after the opening in 1933 of an exhibition hall in the newly constructed Community House, where several exhibitions of national significance were held. It was at this time that leading Czech artist and art historian Zdenek Rykr became an advisor to the Baťa Company in matters of fine arts. A real breakthrough in the artistic sphere came on 26 April 1936 with the opening of the first completed building of the Study Institute. The event was accompanied by the unveiling of the First Spring Zlín Salon of contemporary Czechoslovak fine art installed in the building's fourth floor. It was the first in a series of exhibitions unlike any before or after in Czechoslovakia. The salons ran every year through 1948 with the exception of the years 1945-1946. The specific character of these exhibits derived from the principle that only works selected by a strict jury of artists could be displayed. Exhibited works were available for sale, and the Baťa Company systematically stocked the municipal gallery with the most significant purchased works. Often these were the paintings, sculptures, graphic sheets and drawings of leading Czech and Slovak artists (J. Bauch, O. Stefan, J. Štýrský, Toyen, E. Filla, F. Hudeček and others). In addition to the salons and the so-called Youth Exhibitions (1940-1943), Zlín also hosted major monographic exhibitions of the great artists as well as extensive shows by leading Czech and Slovak artist associations, including Mánes and Umělecká beseda. An important role in Zlín's artistic life, especially during the protectorate and war, was played by the Baťa Company's School of Arts (1939-1945), which trained industrial designers. From among its students there emerged a group of adherents to banned modernist art led by the tragic figure of Václav Chad. The artistic tradition of Baťa's Zlín in the 1930s proved its viability even during the protectorate and war, and for a time - until February 1948 - made its cultural mark on the country in the early postwar years. The artistic heritage of Functionalist Zlín again found expression after 1989, with a research agenda focusing on architecture and the renewal of the Zlín Salons (New Zlín Salon and Zlín Youth Salon) at the Regional Gallery of Fine Arts in Zlín.