The hidden beauty of detail

The book presents a wide range of original artistic decoration of Prague buildings designed by the prominent architect Osvald Polívka (1859-1931) in the period around 1900, i.e. in the era of late historicism and Art Nouveau. Polívka is known as the co-author of the Municipal House and designer of a number of bank palaces in the centre of the Czech metropolis, he was also the creator of the so-called. The new town hall on Marianske Square. It is less known that he also collaborated with a number of Prague builders, such as e.g. Václav Havel or Antonín Novotný, on the facade projects of apartment buildings. < br> Pavel Hroch's detailed photographic documentation introduces us to dozens of remarkable details, many of which a visitor to Prague would not notice on a cursory tour. < br> The book introduces the architect Polívka and his extraordinary work, and then documents in detail the whole and the details of the decoration of his Prague projects from 1891-1922. The Appendices include a list of all his buildings, a curriculum vitae and a glossary of his collaborating artists and architects. < br> < br> The publication of the book was supported by the City of Prague.