Graphic design
An independent collection of applied graphic art was established
in 1961, after the Museum of Applied Arts merged with the Moravian
Museum picture gallery. At its core was a series of posters,
previously part of the museum library.
The first curator of the new collection was Karel Holešovský
(1961-1967), under whose guidance the collection was systematically
built. Holešovský concentrated, in particular, on art nouveau
posters, the most valuable section of the collection. His
exhibition "Art Nouveau Posters from the Moravian Gallery
Collections" was presented in Brno, Prague and Warsaw in 1966.
Together with Jan Rajlich and Jiří Hlušička, Karel Holešovský was
among the founding generation of the Brno Biennial of Applied
Graphic Art (later the International Brno Biennial of Graphic
Design). Regular international shows of the Brno Biennial
reinforced the reputation of the Moravian Gallery among specialists
abroad and became a source of precious acquisitions for its
collections, not only for the graphic design collection but also
for the picture gallery and the library.
From 1967 to 1978 the collection of applied graphic art was
headed by Antonín Dufek, who organised a number of exhibitions
(Posters of the Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam; the Japanese Poster,
and others.) and systematically expanded the collection with
artefacts reflecting contemporary trends in the discipline. As the
curator of the photographic collection of the Moravian Gallery,
Dufek also observed the employment of photography in posters.
Milada Nováková was the graphic art collection curator in
1978-1986. Her specialist activities centred upon the development
of the Brno poster; she prepared several exhibitions of collection
items and new biennale acquisitions, an exhibition of the Polish
poster, the Brno poster of the interwar period, and several shows
of political posters. Since 1986 the collection has been managed by
Marta Sylvestrová.
After the adoption of a new concept structure in 2001, an
independent department of graphic design came into existence within
the Moravian Gallery. Its collection focuses on Czech and
international posters and graphic design. Thanks largely to the
long-standing renown of the Brno Biennial, which remains the main
source of numerous acquisitions, the collection has flourished, and
has maintained a unique position through its home and foreign
exhibitions, as well as through its participation in specialist
international projects (Art as Activist, Smithsonian Institution,
USA 1992-1994; Europe Without Walls, Manchester 1992-1993; Signs of
the Times, Brno, Manchester, London 1999-2000). Regular and
long-term collaboration on research projects with the Art and
Design Department of the University of Manchester, starting in
1994, has enabled the collection chiefly to concentrate on the
post-war poster in Central and Eastern Europe.
The collection currently features around 30,000 items.