The FaVU Gallery opens an exhibition about the forgotten architect Jaroslav J. Polívka

The FaVU Gallery opens a unique exhibition on September 30 titled Philosopher of Structure: Architect and Engineer Jaroslav Josef Polívka (1886-1960), which presents the results of a five-year international research dedicated to the life and work of the Czechoslovak emigrant Jaroslav J. Polívka (1886–1960). Between the wars, Polívka collaborated with the elite of the Czech avant-garde, contributed to the implementation of two Czechoslovak pavilions at world exhibitions in Paris and New York, and found a new home in the United States in 1939. In America, he became acquainted with one of the most significant modern architects, Frank Lloyd Wright, and collaborated with him for thirteen years on eight projects. The exhibition will showcase original archival materials from the estate, reproductions, plans, models, and artistic interpretations of some of Polívka's works by contemporary artists.

The exhibition is authored by art historian Ladislav Zikmund-Lender, who undertook a research stay supported by the Fulbright Commission in the United States in 2017. He began researching Polívka's life and work in archives across the United States, continuing in memory institutions in the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Switzerland, and Spain. “We managed to reconstruct Polívka's life, his work, as well as his social and professional connections. Polívka is often associated with Frank Lloyd Wright, but he literally knew half the world, collected art, and engaged in amateur photography. He was able to connect people, remain at the center of events, and until his death, he was excited about the fact that he could change the world for the better through inventions and new ways of building,” says Zikmund-Lender about his research.

Visitors to the exhibition will find a complete list of Polívka's works, which are spread across three continents, with a large portion dedicated to his relationship with Frank Lloyd Wright and his work in California. “We managed to acquire eleven reproductions from Polívka's photo album, in which he documented his visits to Wright in Arizona, the people he met there, his journeys to and from, and the modifications that Wright's residence underwent over the years. Ten photographs come from the special collections of the University at Buffalo, and one from a private collection,” adds the author of the exhibition. In addition, the exhibition presents Polívka's works in Brno, a short documentary about Polívka's projects in the San Francisco Bay, and the authors attempted to reconstruct Polívka's own solo exhibition from 1955. “At that exhibition, Polívka presented the projects he valued most at that time: a bridge in Podolí in South Bohemia, a grain exchange in Rotterdam, a butterfly bridge over the San Francisco Bay, which he worked on with Wright, and a house in Redwood City in Wright's style,” the author adds. Part of this showcase includes a 3D model of the butterfly bridge, developed by FaVU student Lukáš Prokop and the faculty's 3D studio, as well as Polívka's prototype blocks, a replica of which was designed and created by sculptor Klaudia Korbelič, a FaVU graduate. Illustrator Jan Šrámek contributed three large-format illustrations of Polívka's works to the exhibition.

A rich accompanying program is prepared for the exhibition. As part of Architecture Day, there will be a guided tour and a walk through Polívka's realizations in the center of Brno. Additionally, a guided walk following Polívka's footsteps at the Brno Exhibition Centre, a lecture by the author of the exhibition, and children's art workshops are planned. Information about the accompanying programs can be found on the FaVU website.

The exhibition will be open daily from 10 AM to 6 PM until October 27, 2021.
FaVU Gallery, Údolní 53, Brno