The Plzeň Faculty of Design will bear the name of Ladislav Sutnar

Plzeň - The Faculty of Art and Design of the University of West Bohemia in Plzeň will from today bear the name Faculty of Design and Art Ladislav Sutnar (FDU). Its statute was approved by the university's academic senate. It was named after the artist and designer Sutnar exactly ten years after the establishment of the original Higher Institute of Art and Design. This was stated by the dean Josef Mištera, the founder of the institute.
    "At a time when the era of rapid development of higher education was ending, and conversely, its reduction began, it was incredible to achieve the accreditation of dozens of special studios," he stated. The school received state funding for the construction of a new building during the crisis, which was opened in October 2012. It became an independent ninth faculty last September. Mištera was elected dean this January, the director of the institute.
    "All the values that we acknowledge as designers and visual artists are contained in the name - the word Sutnar. It evokes all fields of design and art that the faculty teaches. Anywhere in the world, the name Sutnar provides information about the school’s focus, the fields we teach, the values we uphold, our goals, vision, and mission," he stated.
    Mištera started the project "Let’s Return Ladislav Sutnar to the People of Plzeň" in 2011 and "Let’s Return Ladislav Sutnar to His Birthplace." At the beginning of 2011, the school contacted Sutnar's son Radoslav. "He agreed to the use of his father's name for a number of purposes and became a friend of our school," said the dean. In May 2011, the Gallery of Ladislav Sutnar was established in Plzeň.
    In October 2012, Sutnar became an honorary citizen of Plzeň in memoriam, and a bronze plaque was unveiled at his birthplace. The faculty also received the right to award the Ladislav Sutnar Awards for significant work in the field of design, design education, and support of design.
    Last year, discussions began on establishing a design museum in Plzeň. At the end of 2013, the dean started working with Radoslav Sutnar on a book about Ladislav Sutnar, which will be launched this November.
    This spring, a chamber exhibition of Sutnar's works will be opened at the West Czech Museum, and the faculty will announce a European competition in the field of poster design titled Hommage Ladislav Sutnar. In the summer, the remains of Ladislav Sutnar and his wife will be transferred to the honorary grave of the city of Plzeň, and an exhibition of the competition designs for the grave monument is planned.
    Sutnar was born in 1897 in Plzeň. He contributed to the reputation of pre-war Czechoslovakia in the design of utility objects and publications, architecture, theater, and exhibitions. Since 1939 he worked in the USA and gained fame as a creator of the language of visual communication.