Zprávy památkové péče 2015, 75(4):331-342

Artistic decoration of housing estates in Czechoslovakia during the 1960-80's

Pavel Karous

This article is an overview of artworks in public spaces placed there as part of housing estate construction from the 1960's to the 1980's. The first part of the article deals with the role of art in public space and presents two examples of systems from abroad - in France and in Chicago - where the placement of works of art as part of public construction were dealt with conceptually through a series of laws. These examples serve for comparison with the "four percent law" which applied in Czechoslovakia from the 1960's, earmarking a mandatory amount for the construction of works of art. The paper also addresses the issue of the censorship of art in this context, noting that the area of exterior monumental art was affected by censorship to a surprisingly small extent, and that authors otherwise persecuted by the regime were able to present their works within housing estates.
The second part of the study focuses on specific works of art, discussing examples of three Prague housing estates that show different positions of monitored works of art. The Invalidovna housing estate is presented as an example of an exceptional and high quality collection, both conceptually and artistically, then the Prosek housing estate as an example of average artworks for the period which, however, thanks to the participation of several outstanding artists, still maintained a high standard, and finally the Barrandov housing estate as an example of late works at the very end of the regime in which artists could express themselves in public spaces, essentially free from persecution.
The article closes with a reflection on the existing state of protection and care of the works in question. It turns out, unfortunately, that public works of art from the 1960-1980's are essentially not historically protected at all, and that due to their alleged ideological defectiveness, the finest artefacts are still being destroyed and removed. Not even the National Heritage Institute has grasped the topic more conceptually as of yet, and the care for this specific art today is almost entirely in the hands of enthusiasts and the civil society.

Keywords: housing estates, art of the second half of the 20th century, public spaces, heritage protection

Published: December 1, 2015  Show citation