Modern and contemporary Czech art/Preface
PREFACE
Contemporary Czech art is hardly known in the countries of Western Europe. This could not be otherwise in the days of Austrian domination, when the Czechs were compelled, at big international exhibitions, to accept the label of “Austrian” or “Hungarian” art which their former rulers imposed upon them. The latter, moreover, greatly restricted the number of Czech contributors, and favoured artists of German nationality.
Now that an independent Czechoslovak State exists, however, there is nothing to prevent Czech art from being manifested under the true title, and it is the aim of the present volume to acquaint the English-speaking world with Czechoslovak activities and aspirations in the domain of art. The text of the book is intended to give a brief history of a subject which, for reasons indicated above, has been known abroad only in an intermittent and, consequently, imperfect manner. As regards the reproductions, it is obvious that they cannot claim completeness, but if they succeed in stimulating a further interest in the works of Czechoslovak artists, sculptors and architects, they will have fulfilled their purpose.