Karel Teige (1900 – 1951) was a Czech art critic, painter, typographic artist and collagist. He was born in the Czech Republic.
Education
Teige earned a bachelor’s degree in art history from Prague’s Charles University.
Biography
Between the wars, Teige was a prominent figure in Czech art and architecture. He was the editor of many avant-garde magazines, including Disk, Stavba, and ReD, and wrote about photography. Devétsil’s first exhibits included Cubist-style paintings and drawings. He created the new medium of Pictorial Poems in 1923, fusing painting and poetry; inspired by Soviet Constructivism, he advocated for “proletarian” art. In 1929, he gave a lecture on new forms in Czech art at the Bauhaus in Dessau. Hannes Meyer invited him to organise conferences on “Sociology and Architecture,” a description of which appeared in the revue ReD in 1929.
His photomontage book covers, posters, and typography were notable as he later specialised in typography, photomontage, and stage design. He developed intricate collages focused on the metamorphosis of the female body from 1935 to 1941 when he turned to Surrealism.
Sources
Byars, M., & Riley, T. (2004). The Design Encyclopedia. Laurence King Publishing.
Additional Reading
Dluhosch, E., Svacha, R., & Frampton, K. (1999). Karel Teige/1900-1951: L’enfant terrible of the Czech modernist avant-garde. MIT Press. Retrieved from https://amzn.to/3xtm7nT.
Michalová Rea. (n.d.). Karel Teige: Captain of the avant-garde. KANT. Retrieved from https://amzn.to/3FNFDhG.
Teige, K. (2001). Modern Architecture in Czechoslovakia and other writings. Getty Research Institute for the History of Art & the Humanities Humanities. Retrieved from https://amzn.to/3I2pBm3.
Teige, K. (2014). Alphabet. Redstone Press. Retrieved from https://amzn.to/3HVd8AR.
Teige, K., & Dluhosch, E. (2002). The minimum dwelling = l’habitation minimum = die kleinstwohnung. MIT Press. Retrieved from https://amzn.to/3rhEV8y.
More Czech Designers
-
Eva Jiricna: Architectural Innovations and Collaborations
Eva Jiricna is a renowned architect and designer known for her elegant and innovative creations. From her early career in Prague to establishing her own practice in the UK, Jiricna has left a lasting impact on the industry. Her collaboration with fashion retailer Joseph Ettedgui shaped the iconic matte black style of 1980s London. With…
-
Atika (1987 – 1999) – Czech Design Group
Formed in 1987, Atika was aligned with the Anti-Design orientation of Archizoom, Alchimia, and Memphis in Italy. One of its goals was to support Post-Modernism, seeking an outlet for experimentation and new means of expression. Its expressive language used signs of symbolic meanings that referred to nature, society, and urban destruction. Read More →
-
Alphonse Mucha (1860 – 1939) – Moravian decorator and painter
Alphonse Mucha (1860 – 1939) was a Moravian decorator, painter, and graphic artist. In the 1890s and early 1900s, Mucha is well known for his Art Nouveau posters, particularly those of Sarah Bernhardt. Mucha first designed stage sets in Vienna; moved to Munich, in 1885 and Paris in 1887.Read More →
-
Jaromir Krejcar (1895-1949), Czech architect and furniture designer
From 1922 to its close in 1931, he was a member of the Devétsil group and editor of the compendium Zivot II and journal Disk; in 1922, he worked in the office of architect Josef Gocar. In 1923, he set up his own office in Prague; was the Bauhaus representative in Czechoslovakia. He was a…
-
František Zelenka (1896 – 1942) – Czech architect and stage and graphic designer
František Zelenka (1896 – 1942) was a Czech architect and stage and graphic designer. He was born in Prague. Zelenka’s career in the theatre was initiated by K.H. Hilar, the National Theatre director in Prague in 1926.Read More →
-
Josef Pohl (1894 – 1975) Czech lighting designer
Josef Pohl (1894 – 1975) was a Czech lighting designer. He designed the 1929 precursor of the adjustable lamp. Gerd Balzer produced his model. As part of its Kamden collection, Korting und Mathieson created a similar lamp. Pohl and others at the Bauhaus also executed the prototype adjustable wall lamp illustrated in Staaliches Bauhaus, Weimar…
-
Ladislav Sutnar (1897 – 1969) Czech Designer
Ladislav Sutnar was a bohemian painter and advertising, display, and industrial designer; born Pilsen (now the Plzen Czech Republic.Read More →
-
Antonin Kybal (1901 – 1971) Czech Textile Designer & Painter
Antonin Kybal (1901 – 1971) was a Czech designer in the Decorative and Applied Arts. Education He went to CharlesRead More →
-
Pavel Hlava (1924 – 2003) Czech Glassware Designer
He was best known for his cut and engraved glass. Hlava enhanced a number of innovative technologies, both in terms of conception and manufacturing. These featured melted silver leaf and other materials, as well as skeleton moulds for shaping glass.Read More →
-
Jacqueline Groag (1903 – 1986) Czech textile designer
Jacqueline Groag (1903 – 1986) was a Czech textile designer and ceramicist. Born in Prague she studied in Vienna at the Kunstgewerbeschule during the 1920s. In 1937 she moved to Paris where she designed dress prints for Jeanne Lanvin, Elsa Schiparelli and others.Read More →
-
Zdeněk Rossmann (1905 – 1984) Czech Book Designer, Architect
He was a member of the Devétsil group from 1923 until its closure in 1931 and the Brno Devétsil group 1923-27. He designed publications, including Pasmo (1924—27) and the Fronta compendium (1927). His work was based on the principles of Bayer and Tschichold.Read More →
-
Marie Teinitzer (1879 – 1960) Czech textile artist and producer
Marie Teinitzerová was born in a little town near Pelhimov called kov. However, she and her parents soon relocated to Jindichv Hradec. In Vienna and Brno, she studied painting. She attended the School of Applied Arts in Prague from 1905 to 1906, then a weaving school in Berlin in 1906. Her research tour took her…
-
Czech Cubism (1910 – 1925) economical design and strictly aesthetic
the beginning of the 20th century. Czech Cubism embraced architecture, design and decorative arts and flourished most prolifically in the years immediately preceding and following the outbreak of the First World War.Read More →
-
Frantíšek Kysela (1881 – 1941) Czech designer and teacher
Frantíšek Kysela (1881 – 1941) was a Czech designer and teacher. He was born in Kourim. Between 1900-04 and 1905-08, he studied at the School of Decorative Arts Prague, under K. Mašek. Read More →
-
Vlastislav Hofman (1884- 1964) Czech Architect, Designer and Artist
Vlastislav Hofman (1884 – 1964) was a Czech architect, designer and artist. He studied at the Czech Technical University. He worked in the building department of the Prague magistrate. He was a member of the Artel Cooperative and Mánes Association of Plastic Artists. In 1911 he left Mánes and joined the group of plastic artists.…
-
Karel Teige (1900 – 1951) Czech art critic, typographic artist
Between the wars, Teige was a prominent figure in Czech art and architecture. He was the editor of many avant-garde magazines, including Disk, Stavba, and ReD, and wrote about photography. Read More →
-
Ajeto Glassworks – Czech Republic
Ajeto Glassworks – Czech Republic. Borek Spek, a renowned Czech designer, and Petr Novotny, a talented young glassblower, formed this glass company in 1989 Read More →
-
Jaroslav Horejc (1886 – 1983) Czech sculptor and designer
Jaroslav Horejc was a Czech sculptor and designer. He was born in Prague. He studied at the Specialized School of Jewelry and, 1906-10, School of Applied Arts, both in Prague. Read More →
You may also be interested in
Augustus Saint-Gaudens (1848 – 1907) Irish American sculptor
Augustus Saint-Gaudens (1848 – 1907) was a sculptor who was born in Dublin, Ireland. He attended the Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art in New York and the National Academy of Design. He began his studies at the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris in 1867.
Vlastislav Hofman (1884- 1964) Czech Architect, Designer and Artist
Vlastislav Hofman (1884 – 1964) was a Czech architect, designer and artist. He studied at the Czech Technical University. He worked in the building department of the Prague magistrate. He was a member of the Artel Cooperative and Mánes Association of Plastic Artists. In 1911 he left Mánes and joined the group of plastic artists.
Czech Cubism (1910 – 1925) economical design and strictly aesthetic – Encyclopedia of Design
Czech cubism influenced by the forms of contemporary cubist painting seen in Prague’s galleries and salons at the beginning of the 20th century. Czech Cubism embraced architecture, design and decorative arts and flourished most prolifically in the years immediately preceding and following the outbreak of the First World War.
Josef Pohl (1894 – 1975) Czech lighting designer – Encyclopedia of Design
Josef Pohl (1894 – 1975) was a Czech lighting designer. He designed the 1929 precursor of the adjustable lamp. Gerd Balzer produced his model. As part of its Kamden collection, Korting und Mathieson created a similar lamp. Pohl and others at the Bauhaus also executed the prototype adjustable wall lamp illustrated in Staaliches Bauhaus, Weimar and produced by Jucker.
Comments are closed, but trackbacks and pingbacks are open.