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Preissig Vojtech bookplate Bezruc Petr

 


Vojtech Preissig

born on July 31, 1873 in Svetec u Biliny
died on June 11, 1944 in Dachau

Vojtech Preissig stands at the beginning of the modern Czech graphic art of the 20th century. In his early work he was one of the foremost representatives of Art Nouveau style, in his late years he became a pioneer of abstract art. During his staying in Paris he worked with Alfons Mucha from 1898 until 1903.
After returning to Bohemia, he established a graphic art studio in Prague-Vysehrad where he created illustrations and dealt with typography. His book "Barevny lept a barevna rytina" (Colour Etchings and Colour Engravings) from 1909 is to be considered as a milestone in Czech graphic art.
In 1910, he moved to the USA where he lived and worked for 20 years gathering a lot of experiences which later heavily influenced the development of the graphic art in Czechoslovakia. Among others, Preissig taught at Columbia University in New York and directed the School of Printing and Graphic Arts at Wentworth Institute in Boston. During his stay in the USA, he never broke up the connections to Czech publishers and the Statní Tiskarna (State Printing House) at Prague. This organization gave the order to him to develop an original script/font for typography. This typography became worldwide known as PREISSIG ROMAN.
He returned to his native country in 1930 and began - based on his rich experiences abroad - to work on a series of abstract paintings. As a Czech patriot, he published from 1938 on propaganda against Hitler and against the occupation of the Czech lands during the time of the Protectorat. He also helped to print the magazine of the resistance movement "V boj" (In the fight). In 1940, he was arrested and dead in the concentration camp of Dachau.

Batz, Gerhard: Lexikon tschechischer und slowakischer     

Briefmarkenkuenstler, 2002
    60 known Bookplates designed by Preissig

 

 

 

 

Email ivanbohac@seznam.cz