Josef Gočár (13 March 1880 in Semín – 10 September 1945 in Jičín) was a Czech architect. He was one of the founders of modern architecture in

Czech Republic The Czech Republic, also known as Czechia, and historically known as Bohemia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the south ...

Life

Josef Gočár received his early instruction at the State Technical School in

Prague Prague ( ; ) is the capital and List of cities and towns in the Czech Republic, largest city of the Czech Republic and the historical capital of Bohemia. Prague, located on the Vltava River, has a population of about 1.4 million, while its P ...

. At the age of 23 he went to study under Jan Kotěra at the School of Applied Arts in Prague (UPŠ). For two years afterward, 1906–1908, Gočár was employed by Kotěra's studio. At that time he decided to join the Mánes Union of Fine Arts, but left it in 1911 to join the Cubist Group of Visual Artists. Gočár joined Pavel Janák, Josef Chochol and Odolen Grégr in founding the Prague Art Workshops in 1912. In 1924, following the death of Kotěra, Gočár became a professor at the Prague Academy of Fine Arts. After his involvement in cubism, Gočár turned to "national" Czech Rondocubism style in the early 1920s. Later on he adopted the Functionalist approach to architecture. Among his greatest accomplishments is the Czechoslovak Pavilion for the 1925 Exposition internationale des arts décoratifs et industriels modernes in Paris. He was awarded the Grand Prize for that design. In 1926 Gočár was awarded the Ordre de la

Légion d'honneur The National Order of the Legion of Honour ( ), formerly the Imperial Order of the Legion of Honour (), is the highest and most prestigious French national order of merit, both military and Civil society, civil. Currently consisting of five cl ...

Works

* Wenke Department Store,

Jaroměř Jaroměř (; ) is a town in Náchod District in the Hradec Králové Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 12,000 inhabitants. It is known for the Josefov Fortress. Josefov is well preserved and is protected as an Cultural monument (Czech Repu ...

, (1909–1911) * House of the Black Madonna, Prague's Old Town (1911–1912) *

Bauer villa Bauer is a German language, German surname meaning "peasant" or "farmer". For notable people sharing the surname Bauer, see Bauer (surname). Bauer may also refer to: Education and literature * Bauer's Lexicon, a dictionary of Biblical Greek ...

, Libodřice, (1912–1913) * Remodeling of the head office of Anglo-Czechoslovak Bank in Prague and new branch buildings in

Hradec Králové Hradec Králové (; ) is a city of the Czech Republic. It has about 94,000 inhabitants. It is the capital of the Hradec Králové Region. The historic centre of Hradec Králové is well preserved and is protected as an Cultural monument (Czech R ...

Ostrava Ostrava (; ; ) is a city in the north-east of the Czech Republic and the capital of the Moravian-Silesian Region. It has about 283,000 inhabitants. It lies from the border with Poland, at the confluences of four rivers: Oder, Opava (river), Opa ...

and

Pardubice Pardubice (; ) is a city in the Czech Republic. It has about 92,000 inhabitants. It is the capital city of the Pardubice Region and lies on the Elbe River. The historic centre is well preserved and is protected as an Cultural monument (Czech Repub ...

* Dům Zemědělské osvěty, Vinohrady, Prague, 1924–1926 * Saint Wenceslas Church, Vršovice, Prague, 1929–1930 * A 10-year period of town planning and

building design Building design, also called architectural design, refers to the broadly based architectural, engineering and technical applications to the design of buildings. All building projects require the services of a building designer, typically a licen ...

for

where a large street still bears his name today.

Gallery

Svaty Vaclav Vrsovice.jpg, Saint Wenceslas church, Vršovice, Prague, 1929–1930. Prague Gocar rondokubismus.jpg, Building of Legiobanka in Prague, with architectural sculpture by Otto Gutfreund and Jan Štursa. Dům U černé Matky Boží 02.JPG, House of the Black Madonna, Prague. Hradec Králové - Gymnázium J. K. Tyla - Průčelí.jpg, Gymnasium, Hradec Králové. Josef Gočár Winternitz Mills Pardubice 1911.JPG, Winternitz Mills, Pardubice. Bauerova vila - Libodřice 3.JPG, Bauer villa, Libodřice. Palác Fénix 02.JPG, Fénix Palace (Strojexport), Prague, Wenceslas Square. Muzeum 1.jpg, Museum building (originally store house) in Jaroměř

External links

Biography (in English)Biography (in Czech)List of works (in Czech)Photographs of his works (text in Czech)
Czech architects 20th-century Czech architects Czechoslovak architects Cubist architects Academy of Arts, Architecture and Design in Prague alumni Academic staff of the Academy of Fine Arts in Prague People from Pardubice District Burials at Vyšehrad Cemetery 1880 births 1945 deaths {{CzechRepublic-architect-stub

Life

Works

Gallery

See also

External links