Jiří Roháček – Kristina Uhlíková (eds.)
The name of Zdeněk Wirth is linked with an entire epoch of Czech art history and monument conservation. This applies not only to academic and research aspects, but also to organisation, including the establishment of a system of monument conservation at the central level. He was undoubtedly a controversial figure in many respects, and views on the impact he had as chairman of the post-war National Cultural Commission, for example, vary considerably. This publication was prepared following an international meeting of researchers in 2008.
The Czech and international authors of the texts in this collection include researchers from the fields of art history (Alena Janatková, Pavel Šopák), monument conservation (Cathleen M. Giustino, Jana Synková, Petr Štoncner, Jiří Křížek, Kristina Uhlíková), and regional cultural history (Hana Kábová), and also experts on specific areas of art history – such as Baroque architecture (Jiří T. Kotalík), garden architecture (Sylva Dobalová, Ivan P. Muchka), modern architecture (Rostislav Švácha, Vendula Hnídková) or industrial architecture (Vladislava Valchářová). The contributions are arranged according to theme, so that after the overview provided in the introductory essay readers can acquaint themselves with the main areas of Wirth's activity from the first decade of the 20th century, when he published his study on Baroque Gothic, through to the early 1950s, when as chairman of the National Cultural Commission he prepared the installation of furnishings in the chateau in Ratiboř. To conclude with, we have included an article on the extensive collection of materials left by Wirth on his death, which today is administered by the Institute of Art History, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic.
First edition, Czech, summary in English, 304 p., black-and-white illustrations, Prague 2010
ISBN 978-80-86890-32-6
