In Libodřice, a unique cubism museum has been established

Libodřice (Kolínsko) - The museum with a gallery of Cubist design, which opened this year in Libodřice in the Kolín region, offers a unique collection of furniture, ceramics, and paintings. It was established in the so-called Bauer villa, which is one of the few rural Cubist monuments, said Daniela Škarková, chairwoman of the board of the Czech Cubism Foundation, which operates the museum.
    "We know the paintings of Pablo Picasso, but Cubism in architecture and other applied arts is a very specific matter, especially in Central Europe and particularly the Czech Republic. There are about 14 similar Cubist buildings in the Czech Republic, and this one is very unique just because it is a Cubist building in the countryside," she added. Although the museum is located in a small, poorly accessible village outside Prague, about a thousand people have come to see it since it opened at the end of June.
    The villa in Libodřice was built between 1912 and 1914 for his family by local landowner Adolf Bauer according to the design of the prominent Cubist architect Josef Gočár (1880-1945). After the rise of Nazism, the house was confiscated by the Protectorate authorities. After 1948, it housed a national committee, library, hairdressing salon, and apartments. The dilapidated building was purchased from the municipality in 2002 by the Czech Cubism Foundation. It was reconstructed at a cost of about 25 million crowns, contributed by the state, the Central Bohemia region, the European Union, and several donors.
    "The villa has been preserved as a building, but apart from a few exceptions, its furnishings have not survived," Škarková added. The period furniture, paintings, and ceramics that complement the exhibition come from the foundation's property, museums, and private collectors. Among them is, for example, the largest collection of Cubist ceramics in the world.
    The foundation will continue with the villa's renovation next year. It has received grants from the Central Bohemia region and from so-called Norwegian funds for the renovation of the garden, reproduction of period wallpapers, completion of the painting, and restoration of the furniture. The project is expected to be realized by spring 2010.
    The Czech Cubism Foundation was established in 2002. Its aim is to protect cultural monuments, especially architectural buildings from the first half of the 20th century and to safeguard the applied arts of designers from this era.