Vlastislav Hofman (6 February 1884 – 28 August 1964) was an artist and architect who lived and worked first in the

Austro-Hungarian Empire Austria-Hungary, also referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Dual Monarchy or the Habsburg Monarchy, was a multi-national constitutional monarchy in Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. A military and diplomatic alliance, it consist ...

and later in Czechoslovakia. Though he was a painter, set designer, graphic artist, furniture designer, and author, Hofman is best known as an architect strongly influenced by

Cubism Cubism is an early-20th-century avant-garde art movement which began in Paris. It revolutionized painting and the visual arts, and sparked artistic innovations in music, ballet, literature, and architecture. Cubist subjects are analyzed, broke ...

Life

Born in Jičín in

Bohemia Bohemia ( ; ; ) is the westernmost and largest historical region of the Czech Republic. In a narrow, geographic sense, it roughly encompasses the territories of present-day Czechia that fall within the Elbe River's drainage basin, but historic ...

, Hofman studied architecture 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 ...

from 1902 to 1907. He was otherwise self-taught in the arts. He was active in avant garde art movements in his homeland, and he associated with artists and writers of the time, including

Karel Čapek Karel Čapek (; 9 January 1890 – 25 December 1938) was a Czech writer, playwright, critic and journalist. He has become best known for his science fiction, including his novel '' War with the Newts'' (1936) and play '' R.U.R.'' (''Rossum' ...

. Hofman wrote many pieces on political subjects and the philosophy of art, especially for the journal ''Právo lidu'' ("People's Right"). His stage designs were mainly for the Vinohrady Theatre (Divadlo na Vinohradich) in Prague. Hofman's design for director Karel Hilar's 1926 production of ''

Hamlet ''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a Shakespearean tragedy, tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play. Set in Denmark, the play (the ...

'' was particularly notable.Anthony B. Dawson, ''Hamlet'', Manchester, Manchester University Press, 1997; p. 117.

Gallery

File:Vlastislav Hofman - Graphic Design with Inverted Tree Motif - Google Art Project.jpg, Brush and watercolor drawing with inverted tree motif, 1911 File:Vlastislav Hofman - Design for a Box with Green and Yellow Squares on Black Ground - Google Art Project.jpg, Brush and watercolor design, 1911 File:Vlastislav Hofman - Design for a Box in Orange, Black, and Yellow (recto); Design for Box in Orange, Green, and Yellow... - Google Art Project.jpg, Brush and watercolor design, 1911 File:Vlastislav Hofman - Elevation Design for a Sitting Room with Sofa, Two Chairs, and Table - Google Art Project.jpg, Design for a sitting room with sofa, two chairs, and table, 1919

References

External links

Vlastislav Hofman on www.kosmas.cz

online biography
* Finding aid for Vlastislav Hofman papers and drawings Getty Research Institute, Los Angeles, Accession No. 900189. The Vlastislav Hofman archive contains material from several stages in Hofman's career, and include an extensive collection of letters and postcards from prominent figures in the Czech avant-garde movement; {{DEFAULTSORT:Hofman, Vlatislav Czechoslovak architects Czechoslovak scenic designers 20th-century Czech architects Cubist architects Czechoslovak painters 1884 births 1964 deaths People from Jičín Czech Technical University in Prague alumni