The artist as editor: history of the avant-garde in the Volné směry magazine

Abstract

From the end of the 19th century onwards, art magazines played an important role in shaping modern Czech art as mediators of discussion, polemics and international comparison. Artistic roles intermingled and artists often acted as editors, becoming pioneers not only through their own work but also through their work in the media.

From its inception in 1896, the leading art medium was Volné směry published by S. V.

U. Mánes.

In the first decades of the 20th century, it became a platform for intergenerational discussions about the direction of Czech art, for example under the leadership of Emil Filla or Josef Čapek.

Keywords

• media history
• art history
• art magazines