Pavel Smetana

Pavel Smetana belonged to the interwar avant-garde and, like many other avant-garde, left-minded Czech artists, was a member of the legendary Art Union Devětsil. The association, which operated in the 1920s, tried to bring art to the widest possible audience by organising various events - publishing magazines, organising lectures, exhibitions and theatre performances. In the spirit of functionalist principles, Pavel Smetana designed school buildings, apartment buildings and private villas. Even as a furniture designer he followed the principles of functionalism. In the 1930s, Smetana designed several types of elegant floor lamps, which, thanks to their adjustable parts, are characterised by their simple but refined design, high functionality and practicality. From 1945, Smetana ran his own studio at the VŠUP and later even served as rector from 1949-1956. The studio was known for not only focusing on the architecture of buildings or urban complexes, but also smaller commissions that had to be worked out to the smallest detail. Within the assignments, students designed cottages, landscaped parks and playgrounds, tackled furniture designs or even exhibition architecture. Pavel Smetana's studio was used by such personalities as Josef Svoboda, one of the creators of the famous Laterna Magika, or Jan Kaplický, an extremely successful Czech architect abroad, the author of the design of the new building of the National Library on Letná Plain in Prague. Barbora Kovářová