The Czech Center New York presents a selection of artifacts from the Home Art collection in Prague.

Svícen – Klecící žena kov                                                              Tulipány kov

Home Art is a phenomenon that arose in the second half of the 20th century in communist Czechoslovakia. Home Art was made by people with no art education and with ambition not reaching beyond the intent of creating a piece of art simply for their and their family’s joy. These artifacts decorated the interiors of Communist era housing projects, countryside cottages, offices and workrooms, pubs and military dormitories. Artistry, craftsmanship, and a peculiar design inspiration is much in evidence as one tours this collection which serves as a kind of document of the personal and widely felt response to the social and economic constraints of that era.

Dekorace chemlon                                                     Hodiny prekližka, drevo, budík

Home Art, especially at the turn of the 1950s and 1960s, complemented the “atomic style”, for which the name “Brussels style“ is used in Czechoslovakia after the 1958 Brussels World’s Fair, where Czech designs won 27 gold medals.

Svícen kov                                                                          Ferda Mravenec kov

While bursts of Czech Home Art activity can be seen in the mid 1970s and the beginning of the 1980s, the 1960s was the time when it reached its peak.  By the fall of the communist regime in 1989, this modern folklore has more or less disappeared.

Cert kov                                                                                              Palmy kov

What these Home Art pieces may lack in formal aesthetic, they more than make up for in sheer creativity and whimsy, and it is in this light as artifacts that they are best appreciated as they represent important historical and social evidence belonging to a bygone era.

Pantofle chemlon                                                                Prostírání chemlon

Exhibition
Home Art
At the Czech Center New York
From June 16 to September 15 2011

Swims is the modern stylish Galosh from Norway which won Norwegian Design Excellence award. It’s a perfect combination of form and function - and of course great for these rainy days. Slip on Swims when the weather is rough, slip'em off when you arrive at your destination.

They also came up with the Mobster Collection in the form of an ankle boot. The boot shaped galoshes can be zipped up and down for you to adapt according to your mood.