Zlín Gallery presents housing according to Jan Vaňek

Zlín - The environment of first-republic housing is represented by the exhibition Jan Vaněk (1891 - 1962) - Civilized Living for Everyone, which was opened today by the Regional Gallery of Fine Arts in Zlín. The exhibition presents a number of his complete furniture sets, including home accessories, period advertisements, and publications in which Vaněk participated.
    The work of this personality is not being presented in Zlín by coincidence. From 1939 to 1944, Jan Vaněk lectured at the Art School in Zlín and addressed the architectural concept and conception of the Zlín Salons, i.e., exhibitions of fine arts. "In the exhibition spaces at Špilberk in Brno, his (Vaněk's) exhibition was opened in 2009 alongside a presentation of the work of Zlín architect František Lýdie Gahura. They were connected not only by the same year of birth (1891) and mutual friends, but primarily by their collaboration during Vaněk's activities in Zlín," reminded Lenka Hubáčková from the Zlín gallery.
    Jan Vaněk encompassed the entire spectrum of housing culture. He approached home interiors comprehensively, including home accessories - textiles, upholstery fabrics, tableware, glass, and works of art. He also addressed optimal layouts and the economy of running a given apartment. "In his work, the roots of today's completely common modular furniture can be found. Vaněk excelled in the field of advertising and promoting his own production, placing an emphasis on the visual style of advertising," added Hubáčková.
    The exhibition thus offers dozens of collection items. One can also see part of the furniture from Vaněk's semi-detached houses in Brno. The exhibition is complemented by a documentary film about his life and work.
    He was born in Třebíč into a family of a joinery workshop owner. He studied at a vocational school for wood processing in Chrudim. The family business in Třebíč, which he took over after his studies, became one of the production bases of the emerging United Arts and Crafts Enterprises, and in the following years, the largest furniture company in then-Czechoslovakia.
    The exhibition will last until November 14.