Bohuslav Fuchs (24 March 1895 – 18 September 1972) was a
Czech
Czech may refer to:
* Anything from or related to the Czech Republic, a country in Europe
** Czech language
** Czechs, the people of the area
** Czech culture
** Czech cuisine
* One of three mythical brothers, Lech, Czech, and Rus
*Czech (surnam ...
modernist
architect
An architect is a person who plans, designs, and oversees the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to provide services in connection with the design of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the buildings that h ...
. He also worked as a university teacher and urban planner. He is considered one of the most important Czech architects of the 20th century. His work is primarily associated with the city of
Brno
Brno ( , ; ) is a Statutory city (Czech Republic), city in the South Moravian Region of the Czech Republic. Located at the confluence of the Svitava (river), Svitava and Svratka (river), Svratka rivers, Brno has about 403,000 inhabitants, making ...
.
Life and career
Bohuslav Fuchs was born on 24 March 1895 in
Všechovice. He attended a school in
Holešov
Holešov (; ) is a town in Kroměříž District in the Zlín Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 12,000 inhabitants. The historic town centre with the castle complex is well preserved and is protected as an urban monument zone.
Administra ...
and the civil engineering technical school in
Brno
Brno ( , ; ) is a Statutory city (Czech Republic), city in the South Moravian Region of the Czech Republic. Located at the confluence of the Svitava (river), Svitava and Svratka (river), Svratka rivers, Brno has about 403,000 inhabitants, making ...
. After school, he went to Prague to work as a bricklayer, but was soon accepted intothe
Academy of Fine Arts in Prague, where he studied with
Jan Kotěra
Jan Kotěra (18 December 1871 – 17 April 1923) was a Czech architect, artist and interior designer, and one of the key figures of modern architecture in Bohemia.
Biography
Kotěra was born in Brno, the largest city in Moravia, to a Czech fath ...
between 1916 and 1919. In 1919–1921, he worked in Kotěra's atelier. In 1922, Fuchs moved back to Brno, where he married Drahomíra Střelcová in 1923. They had two children, a daughter and a son.
In Brno, Fuchs worked at the city construction office in 1923–1929, and from 1929 in his own atelier.
Between 1947 and 1958, Fuchs was a professor of architecture at
Brno University of Technology
Brno University of Technology (BUT; Czech: ''Vysoké učení technické v Brně'', VUT) is a university located in Brno, Czech Republic. Being founded in 1899 and initially offering a single course in civil engineering, it grew to become a maj ...
. He participated in several professional associations abroad (e. g. British
RIBA
''Riba'' (, or , ) is an Arabic word used in Islamic law and roughly translated as " usury": unjust, exploitative gains made in trade or business. ''Riba'' is mentioned and condemned in several different verses in the Qur'an3:130
). His projects, realized mainly in Brno, were predominantly influenced by
functionalism.
[
He died on 18 September 1972 in Brno. He was buried at the Central Cemetery in Brno.][
]
Selected works
Fuchs is considered one of the most important Czech architects of the 20th century, who achieved European renown. In his work, he believed in the principle that architecture must serve people. Most of his notable buildings are located in Brno, including:[
*Zemanova kavárna (Café Zeman), 1925
*''Masná burza'' (Meat Exchange House), 1926
*Hotel Avion, 1927
*Pavillons at the Brno Exhibition Ground, 1928
*Fuchs Villa, 1929
*Moravská banka, 1930, together with Arnošt Wiesner
*Vesna Professional Secondary School for Woman's Occupation, 1930, together with Josef Polášek
*Municipal Spa in Zábrdovice, 1930
*Petrák Villa, 1936
*Tesař Villa, 1938
*Post office, 1938
*Brno House of Arts – reconstruction, 1947
*Bus station in Benešova Street, 1949
*Red Army monument, 1955, together with ]Vincenc Makovský
Vincenc Makovský (3 June 1900 – 28 December 1966) was a Czechs, Czech sculptor, industrial designer and university teacher.
Biography
Vincenc Makovský was born on 3 June 1900 in Nové Město na Moravě. After he graduated from the high schoo ...
and Antonín Kurial
Fuchs' notable work outside Brno includes:[
*Klostermann Hut in Modrava, 1922
*Masaryk Hut, Šerlich mountain, Deštné v Orlických horách, 1925
*Central and residential building of the ''Středomoravské elektrárny'' energy company in ]Přerov
Přerov (; ) is a city in the Olomouc Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 41,000 inhabitants. It lies on the Bečva River. In the past it was a major crossroad in the heart of Moravia in the Czech Republic. The historic city centre is we ...
, 1929
*Municipal Savings Bank in Třebíč
Třebíč (; ) is a town in the Vysočina Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 35,000 inhabitants.
The beginnings of the town's history are connected with the establishment of a Benedictines, Benedictine monastery, where the castle is loca ...
, 1931
*Municipal Savings Bank in Tišnov
Tišnov (; ) is a town in Brno-Country District in the South Moravian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 9,200 inhabitants.
Administrative division
Tišnov consists of five municipal parts (in brackets population according to the 2021 cens ...
, 1933
*Thermal swimming pool ''Zelená žába'' in Trenčianske Teplice
Trenčianske Teplice (; ) is a health resort and small spa town in western Slovakia, in the valley of the river Teplička, at the foothills of the Strážovské vrchy mountains, a few kilometres away from the city of Trenčín.
Characteristics
...
, 1936
*Moravian Slovakia Museum in Uherské Hradiště
Uherské Hradiště (; ) is a town in the Zlín Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 25,000 inhabitants. The agglomeration with the two neighbouring towns of Staré Město (Uherské Hradiště District), Staré Město and Kunovice has over ...
, 1942
*New Scene of the National Theatre in Prague, 1966
Most of his works are protected as cultural monuments of the Czech Republic.
Honours and legacy
In 1969, Fusch became a laureate of Herder Prize
The Herder Prize (), named after the German philosopher Johann Gottfried Herder (1744–1803), was a prestigious international prize awarded every year from 1964 to 2006 to scholars and artists from Central and Southeast Europe whose life and wor ...
.
Hotel Avion in Brno, which is one of Fuchs' works, houses a museum of functionalism and life and work of Bohuslav Fuchs.
A street in Brno is named after Fuchs.[
The monument to B. Fuchs was unveiled in 1995 in the Pisárky district of Brno.
In 2025, to celebrate the 130th anniversary of Bohuslav Fuchs' birth, a life-size inflatable bust of Fuchs was created. The projects aim was to commemorate his legacy and influence on the modern look of Brno.]
Gallery
Turistická chata Klostermannova (Modrava) (2).jpg, Klostermann Hut (1922)
2014 Schronisko Masarykova Chata.jpg, Masaryk Hut (1925)
Zemanova kavárna Brno Koliště celek 1.jpg, Zemanova kavárna (1925)
Overview of city savings-bank by Bohuslav Fuchs in Třebíč, Třebíč District.jpg, Municipal Savings Bank in Třebíč (1931)
Petrákova vila, Brno Marie Pujmanové 1.jpg, Petrák Villa (1936)
References
Further reading
*Emilia Terragni, Helen Thomas (2012): ''20th-century world architecture - Bohuslav Fuchs: Avion p. 499, Zábrdovice p. 461, Trenčianske Teplice p. 509''. Phaidon.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fuchs, Bohuslav
1895 births
1972 deaths
People from Přerov District
People from the Margraviate of Moravia
Czech architects
20th-century Czech architects
Functionalist architects
Academy of Fine Arts in Prague alumni
Herder Prize recipients
Burials at Brno Central Cemetery