Frantisek Drtikol

Photos 1918-1935

The exhibition is made under patronage of the Minister of Culture of Czech Republic within the Czech Culture Season in Moscow. Moscow House of Photography has an honor to invite you to the world opening of retrospective exhibition of Frantishek Drtikol — one of the most brilliant and significant photographers of the beginning of XX century.

In the creative work of Frantishek Drtikol had concentrated basic elements of the epoch of art nouveau and of the following period of art deco. Drtikol not only expressed his time very tactfully and subtly, but he was one of those, who actively formed photographic aesthetics, had great influence on Czech, American, Japanese, European in Russian photography of 1920—1930th. In this period creative work of Frantishek Drtikol was presented at all the important international exhibitions. Particular place in creative work of Drtikol had a theme of naked body. It’s possible to say that Drtikol anticipated the development of this theme in European photography of XX century. Also very interesting are his works with light and, for the first time in the history of art, experiments with substitution of the real object for mannequins and models (those works are shown for the first time in the Moscow House of Photography). Later experiments of Frantishek Drtikol were developed in the creative work of Bernard Fokon, David Levenatl and others.

During the last decades, after almost semi-centennial oblivion, Drtikol returns to the proscenium of the art process. His creation work became once again claimed in the end of XX — beginning of XI century. The works of Frantishek Drtikol beautify photographic collections of the best museums all over the world, as Metropolitan Museum, Museum D’Orsey, and Center of George Pompidou. The most valuable collection of his works is situated in the Museum of the Decorative Art in Prague, which author himself gave to this museum in 1939–1942.

The exhibition «Frantishek Drtikol: photographs 1918–1935» is the first big presentation of this unique collection. There is no doubt that this exhibition will provoke huge interest and will become very important factor, which will influence the search of the new art strategy.