The House at the Black Madonna was Prague’s first Cubist building. Originally a department store, it was designed by Josef Gočár and built in 1911–1912. In 2010 the building became one of the Czech Republic’s cultural heritage sites. On one corner there is a copy of a Baroque statuette of the Black Madonna (hence the name) from the building that stood here earlier.
The display of furniture suites and individual pieces, together with accessory furnishings and objects made of ceramic, glass and metals offers an overview of the foremost creative achievements of Czech Cubism’s key exponents. Represented are architects and designers Pavel Janák, Josef Gočár, Josef Chochol, Vlastislav Hofman, Otakar Novotný and František Kysela. Their works are complemented by Cubist paintings by Emil Filla, Bohumil Kubišta, Josef Čapek and Václav Špála, and sculptures by Otto Gutfreund.
In the interactive zone, visitors are welcome to sit in replicas of Cubist chairs, while the Modernista design shop on the ground floor offers a great choice of ceramics and furniture to carry home.
