Association of
Collectors
M. Jancakova
Miscellaneous
Vojtech Preissig
born on July 31, 1873 in Svetec u Biliny
died on June 11, 1944 in Dachau
Vojtech Preissig stands at the beginning of the
modern Czech graphic art of the 20th century. In
his early work he was one of the foremost
representatives of Art Nouveau style, in his late
years he became a pioneer of abstract art. During
his staying in Paris he worked with Alfons Mucha
from 1898 until 1903.
After returning to Bohemia, he established a
graphic art studio in Prague-Vysehrad where he
created illustrations and dealt with typography.
His book "Barevny lept a barevna rytina"
(Colour Etchings and Colour Engravings) from 1909
is to be considered as a milestone in Czech
graphic art.
In 1910, he moved to the USA where he lived and
worked for 20 years gathering a lot of experiences
which later heavily influenced the development of
the graphic art in Czechoslovakia. Among others,
Preissig taught at Columbia University in New York
and directed the School of Printing and Graphic
Arts at Wentworth Institute in Boston. During his
stay in the USA, he never broke up the connections
to Czech publishers and the Statní Tiskarna
(State Printing House) at Prague. This
organization gave the order to him to develop an
original script/font for typography. This
typography became worldwide known as PREISSIG
ROMAN.
He returned to his native country in 1930 and
began - based on his rich experiences abroad - to
work on a series of abstract paintings. As a Czech
patriot, he published from 1938 on propaganda
against Hitler and against the occupation of the
Czech lands during the time of the Protectorat. He
also helped to print the magazine of the
resistance movement "V boj" (In the
fight). In 1940, he was arrested and dead in the
concentration camp of Dachau.
Batz, Gerhard: Lexikon tschechischer und slowakischer
Briefmarkenkuenstler, 2002
60
known Bookplates designed by Preissig
Email ivanbohac@seznam.cz