Argonauts of the Ideal: The Art Scene in Liberec in the First Half of the 20th Century.

Thanks to strong industrial development during the 19th century, Liberec gradually became an important regional center where, alongside artistic crafts (focused mainly on textiles and related processes), fine art also began to emerge. Yet in 1891, art historian Ernst Polaczek still described Liberec (then Reichenberg) as a place little accessible to the muses. A few years later, the poet Erich Posselt sought to connect young citizens of Liberec who were striving for higher artistic goals. He referred to himself and his companions as Argonauts of the Ideal. His efforts were thwarted by the First World War. It was only in the 1920s that one can truly speak of a period of artistic blossoming. The youngest generation of painters and graphic artists fully engaged in artistic creation. A significant outcome was the establishment of the artists’ group Oktobergruppe, whose members left behind a body of work that extended beyond the regional context.

The exhibition and publication project Argonauts of the Ideal presents important figures of the Liberec art scene of the first half of the 20th century. It focuses both on their artistic production and on their social and ethnic position. Included are selected works by both German- and Czech-speaking artists reflecting the reality of contemporary artistic endeavors. On display are works stemming from 19th-century academic painting, creations influenced by Expressionism, as well as the emerging New Objectivity. Equally represented are oil paintings and works on paper, especially prints, which constituted a substantial part of artistic production at the time. The selection is complemented by posters, book illustrations, bronze sculptures and medals, examples of original glass designs, and period films.