At Špilberk, an exhibition dedicated to Růžena Žertová will be opened
An exhibition titled Růžena Žertová will be opened on Thursday, September 12, 2013, at 5 PM in the exhibition space of the western wing of Špilberk Castle. The exhibition, which is the culmination of several years of interest from the author team in the work of Růžena Žertová, will present an overview of the lifelong work of the Brno-born author (*1932) in the fields of architecture, design, and artistic crafts.
"Although Růžena Žertová's name as an architect seems to be known to the public, Růžena Žertová as a designer and visual artist is still not widely recognized," stated Petra Gajdová, co-author of the exhibition concept. "Our goal is not only to draw attention to the architectural quality of buildings created according to Žertová's designs but also to show that her interior designs, original lighting fixtures, and handmade titanium jewelry are an equal and indispensable complement to her architectural work," adds author team member Petr Klíma.
Originally, Růžena Žertová did not want to be an architect. "From a young age, she was drawn to craftsmanship and manual work; nevertheless, she studied architecture at the Brno Technical University under Professor Bedřich Rozehnal and dedicated most of her life to architecture," points out Petra Gajdová. Žertová spent many years at the State Project Institute for Trade in Brno, where she implemented several department stores (Priory in Košice, Pardubice, and Ostrava, Labe in Ústí nad Labem). This professional chapter of hers, which has been presented in detail in the publication KOTVY MÁJE / Czech Department Stores 1965-1975, forms the basis of the first part of the exhibition. It also includes Žertová's later architectural work, encompassing residential buildings, interiors, and reconstructions.
The second part of the exhibition is primarily dedicated to the author's lighting fixtures and jewelry. The aluminum lighting fixtures that Žertová sold in the gallery Dílo gained significant popularity for their original approach and clean shapes. One of them was presented last year at the exhibition Light Sculptures / Czech Table Lamps 1950-1990 by Adam Štěch, another member of the author team and design theorist. "It's also important to mention the technological experiments Růžena Žertová conducted with metals, fabrics, and other materials. The results of these experiments were applied in her designs for titanium jewelry – more like jewels than everyday wear – and fashion accessories," adds Darina Zavadilová on behalf of the author team.
In addition to an extraordinarily developed sense of material and courage for experiments, Žertová applied remarkable artistic intuition in her work. The guiding signs of her architectural designs were also rational operational solutions for buildings, respect for construction, and adherence to order. "The ability to intersect and combine rationality with emotion with seemingly effortless ease, throughout the breadth of her work, as well as humility and integrity in her approach to assignments of various types and scales, makes Růžena Žertová one of the most significant figures in Czech architecture and design of the second half of the 20th century," conclude Gajdová and Klíma.
The visual design of the exhibition was created by Matěj Činčera and Jan Kloss, members of the group OKOLO and winners of the Graphic Designer of the Year award at Czech Grand Design 2012. The exhibition, which will be followed by a publication by the end of this year, will be open to visitors from September 13 to October 20, 2013, daily except Mondays – from 10 AM to 6 PM (September) and from 9 AM to 5 PM (October). The accompanying program of the exhibition includes three author-led and commented tours – one of which will take place on Saturday, October 5, 2013, at 2 PM as part of the Brno section of the Architecture Day program.
Růžena Žertová
September 12 - October 20, 2013
Museum of the City of Brno, western wing of Špilberk Castle
open Tue-Sun 10 AM-6 PM (September), 9 AM-5 PM (October)
Exhibition Opening / Thursday, September 12, 2013, at 5 PM
Venue / Museum of the City of Brno, western wing of Špilberk Castle
The exhibition will be inaugurated by / Pavel Ciprian, Director of the Museum of the City of Brno
Speakers / Prof. Ivan Ruller
Exhibition Concept / Petra Gajdová, Růžena Žertová
Texts / Petra Gajdová, Petr Klíma, Adam Štěch, Darina Zavadilová
Graphic Design / Matěj Činčera, Jan Kloss
Photography / Petr Jehlík, Daniela Dostálková
Video / Barbora Šimonová
Organizer / Museum of the City of Brno
Accompanying Program
September 28, 2013 / 3:00 PM / guided tour
October 5, 2013 / 2:00 PM / author-led tour of the exhibition as part of Architecture Day
October 19, 2013 / 3:00 PM / guided tour
"Although Růžena Žertová's name as an architect seems to be known to the public, Růžena Žertová as a designer and visual artist is still not widely recognized," stated Petra Gajdová, co-author of the exhibition concept. "Our goal is not only to draw attention to the architectural quality of buildings created according to Žertová's designs but also to show that her interior designs, original lighting fixtures, and handmade titanium jewelry are an equal and indispensable complement to her architectural work," adds author team member Petr Klíma.
Originally, Růžena Žertová did not want to be an architect. "From a young age, she was drawn to craftsmanship and manual work; nevertheless, she studied architecture at the Brno Technical University under Professor Bedřich Rozehnal and dedicated most of her life to architecture," points out Petra Gajdová. Žertová spent many years at the State Project Institute for Trade in Brno, where she implemented several department stores (Priory in Košice, Pardubice, and Ostrava, Labe in Ústí nad Labem). This professional chapter of hers, which has been presented in detail in the publication KOTVY MÁJE / Czech Department Stores 1965-1975, forms the basis of the first part of the exhibition. It also includes Žertová's later architectural work, encompassing residential buildings, interiors, and reconstructions.
The second part of the exhibition is primarily dedicated to the author's lighting fixtures and jewelry. The aluminum lighting fixtures that Žertová sold in the gallery Dílo gained significant popularity for their original approach and clean shapes. One of them was presented last year at the exhibition Light Sculptures / Czech Table Lamps 1950-1990 by Adam Štěch, another member of the author team and design theorist. "It's also important to mention the technological experiments Růžena Žertová conducted with metals, fabrics, and other materials. The results of these experiments were applied in her designs for titanium jewelry – more like jewels than everyday wear – and fashion accessories," adds Darina Zavadilová on behalf of the author team.
In addition to an extraordinarily developed sense of material and courage for experiments, Žertová applied remarkable artistic intuition in her work. The guiding signs of her architectural designs were also rational operational solutions for buildings, respect for construction, and adherence to order. "The ability to intersect and combine rationality with emotion with seemingly effortless ease, throughout the breadth of her work, as well as humility and integrity in her approach to assignments of various types and scales, makes Růžena Žertová one of the most significant figures in Czech architecture and design of the second half of the 20th century," conclude Gajdová and Klíma.
The visual design of the exhibition was created by Matěj Činčera and Jan Kloss, members of the group OKOLO and winners of the Graphic Designer of the Year award at Czech Grand Design 2012. The exhibition, which will be followed by a publication by the end of this year, will be open to visitors from September 13 to October 20, 2013, daily except Mondays – from 10 AM to 6 PM (September) and from 9 AM to 5 PM (October). The accompanying program of the exhibition includes three author-led and commented tours – one of which will take place on Saturday, October 5, 2013, at 2 PM as part of the Brno section of the Architecture Day program.
Růžena Žertová
September 12 - October 20, 2013
Museum of the City of Brno, western wing of Špilberk Castle
open Tue-Sun 10 AM-6 PM (September), 9 AM-5 PM (October)
Exhibition Opening / Thursday, September 12, 2013, at 5 PM
Venue / Museum of the City of Brno, western wing of Špilberk Castle
The exhibition will be inaugurated by / Pavel Ciprian, Director of the Museum of the City of Brno
Speakers / Prof. Ivan Ruller
Exhibition Concept / Petra Gajdová, Růžena Žertová
Texts / Petra Gajdová, Petr Klíma, Adam Štěch, Darina Zavadilová
Graphic Design / Matěj Činčera, Jan Kloss
Photography / Petr Jehlík, Daniela Dostálková
Video / Barbora Šimonová
Organizer / Museum of the City of Brno
Accompanying Program
September 28, 2013 / 3:00 PM / guided tour
October 5, 2013 / 2:00 PM / author-led tour of the exhibition as part of Architecture Day
October 19, 2013 / 3:00 PM / guided tour
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