Tititi in the Museum of Decorative Arts in Prague

The new permanent exhibition of the Museum of Decorative Arts in Prague aims to present a vibrant, multi-dimensional image of applied European arts from the Middle Ages to the 21st century. From its half-a-million items collection, the Museum of Decorative Arts features over 1,300 in the exhibition.

Supervision: Helena Koenigsmarková
Exhibition concept, specialised guidance: Radim Vondráček
Concept, curatorial expertise: the curatorial team of the Museum of Decorative Arts in Prague
Exhibition design: 20YY Designers, Petr Bosák, Robert Jansa, Tomáš Varga, Adam Macháček, Jakub Jansa
Photos: Gabriel Urbánek, Ondřej Kocourek

Cosmic inspirations and utopian visions are a remarkable chapter in Czech art and design history. They are closely related to the conception of design as fiction and play, which enables free creativity and releases human existence from the limitations of strict utility. Play can be approached from a child’s perspective and the world of adult entertainment and strategies. Diverse elements of play abound throughout twentieth-century design, especially in the last third of the period, dominated by the demands of awakened emotionality and semantic differentiation, as documented by the ironising and subverted plays of postmodernity.

Play is also a crucial part of a child’s world. Thus, the exhibition draws attention to toys produced by Minka Podhajská in the early 20th century, the iconic plastic toys by Libuše Niklová from the 1960s and 1970s, or the contemporary products by brands such as My Dvě or Tititi.

Abe, 2019, limewood, turned and hand-painted 

Each one of Tititi’s figurines is only made once.

Indigenous, 2019, sprucewood, turned and hand-painted 

Each one of Tititi’s figurines is only made once.

Brothers, 2019, limewood, turned and hand-painted. 

Each one of Tititi’s figurines is only made once.

Musashi, 2019, limewood, turned and hand-painted. 

Each one of Tititi’s figurines is only made once.

Photo: Tititi archive

https://www.upm.cz/art-life/