Pravoslav Rada

Pravoslav Rada (14 November 1923, Železný Brod - 23 April 2011, Prague) was one of the leading personalities of Czechoslovak post-war art and innovators in the field of ceramics and ceramic sculpture. His work, unique in the Czech (Czechoslovak) context, has been presented many times in exhibitions and partial catalogues. It was most recently presented comprehensively in an exhibition at the Museum of Decorative Arts Rada? Paráda! in 2011. Pravoslav Rada did not live to see the end of the exhibition, for which, unfortunately, no monograph of the artist's work was prepared, although it would have been adequate, necessary and meritorious to his importance.

This debt will only be repaid by a fully bilingual monograph (CZ/ENG) Pravoslav Rada, published at the end of 2023 by the Alšová South Bohemia Gallery on the occasion of the centenary of the artist's birth. The monograph is structured chronologically and thematically and in terms of content covers all the important chapters of Rada's activity - it presents a comprehensive treatment of his free and applied works, his work for architecture, including an inventory of his architectural realisations and an interactive map, and also focuses on his publishing and popularisation activities in the field of ceramic techniques and his organisational activities. It also reflects on previously marginalised areas of Rado's work, such as animated films and puppet theatre. The monograph includes a bibliography and exhibitions, a brief biography of the artist in dates, and medallions of contributors.

The graphic conception of the book visually and haptically evokes the medium of ceramics and the specifics of Rad's work. The bilingual treatment is illustrated by the use of two basic PANTONE spot colours, which Rada used extensively in his work. The alternation of languages is also supported by the variation of fonts used. The titular Denim from the Czech typeface Displaay refers with its characteristic roundness to the morphology of ceramic art and clay work. The monograph, containing hundreds of images, is printed on haptically attractive Munken Lynx paper.