Osvald Polívka (24 May 1859 in Enns – 30 April 1931 in

Prague Prague ( ; cs, Praha ; german: Prag, ; la, Praga) is the capital and largest city in the Czech Republic, and the historical capital of Bohemia. On the Vltava river, Prague is home to about 1.3 million people. The city has a temperate ...

) was an Austrian-born Czech architect associated with the

Art Nouveau Art Nouveau (; ) is an international style of art, architecture, and applied art, especially the decorative arts. The style is known by different names in different languages: in German, in Italian, in Catalan, and also known as the Modern ...

period in Prague. Polívka designed many of Prague's significant landmarks of the era, plus other work in

Brno Brno ( , ; german: Brünn ) is a city in the South Moravian Region of the Czech Republic. Located at the confluence of the Svitava and Svratka rivers, Brno has about 380,000 inhabitants, making it the second-largest city in the Czech Republic ...

and elsewhere. After graduating from Czech Polytechnic in Prague, his first important commission was a collaboration with Antonín Wiehl, the 1894 Prague City Savings Bank. Polívka's style evolved through his active years but he remained devoted to the collaborating with artists for aesthetic effect. For the ornate landmark Municipal House he coordinated the work of many significant Czech muralists and sculptors of the time, including his friend

Alfons Mucha Alfons Maria Mucha (; 24 July 1860 – 14 July 1939), known internationally as Alphonse Mucha, was a Czech painter, illustrator and graphic artist, living in Paris during the Art Nouveau period, best known for his distinctly stylized and decora ...

. He is buried at

Olšany Cemetery Olšany Cemeteries (''Olšanské hřbitovy'' in Czech, ''Wolschan'' in German) is the largest graveyard in Prague, Czech Republic, once laid out for as many as two million burials. The graveyard is particularly noted for its many remarkable art ...

in Prague.

Major architectural projects

* Prague City Savings Bank, Old Town Square, together with Antonín Wiehl, 1894, with distinctive architectural sculptural groups by

Bohuslav Schnirch Bohuslav Bedřich Josef Schnirch (10 August 1845, Prague – 30 September 1901, Prague) was a Czech sculptor, designer and preservationist. Biography His father was the builder and engineer, and his great-uncle, Bedřich Schnirch, designed rail ...

* Zemská Banka head office, Na příkopě, 1895-1896 * Assicurazioni Generali offices, now the Viola Building, with Friedrich Ohmann, #7 Wenceslas Square, 1897 * U Nováků department store, 1902–1903 * co-architect with Municipal House (Obecní dům), with , 1904–1912 * Topič House, circa 1905 * the New Town Hall of Prague, 1908–1911, with architectural sculpture by

Stanislav Sucharda

Stanislav Sucharda (12 November 1866 in Nová Pa ...

Josef Mařatka Josef Mařatka (21 May 1874, Prague – 20 April 1937, Prague) was a Czech sculptor. Life His father, Wilhelm Mařatka, was a shoemaker. From 1889 to 1896, he studied at the School of Applied Arts under Celda Klouček, {{DEFAULTSORT:Maratka ...

and

Ladislav Šaloun Ladislav Jan Šaloun (1 August 1870, Prague – 18 October 1946, Prague) was a prominent Czech sculptor of the Art Nouveau period. Life Šaloun was born in 1870 in Prague and he studied in the studios of Tomáš Seidan and Bohuslav Schnirch.< ...

* Gallery of Modern Art in Hradec Králové, 1912, with allegorical sculpture by Šaloun flanking the entrance Image:Praha Nova radnice.jpg, New Town Hall, Prague File:Palác České obchodní společnosti v Ústí n. L.jpg, Czech Trading Company, Prague File:Secesni-vodarna.jpg, Teuna Waterworks Image:Prag obecni dûm gemeindehaus.jpg, Municipal House, Prague

References

External links

Osvald Polívka at the archiweb.cz

1859 births 1931 deaths Czech architects Art Nouveau architects People from Linz-Land District Burials at Olšany Cemetery {{CzechRepublic-architect-stub