A series of eight reliefs for Hotel Jalta
clear glass, fused sculpture, motif of elements (fish, crayfish, frog, snake, grape, bird), sun and Sputnik I., signed relief Sputnik I., J. Zahradníková St. Libenský 1957 ŽBS, made by the Železný Brod glassworks, approximate dimensions 80 x 25 cm, slightly damaged edges (Zí)

Literature: Klasová M., Stanislav Libenský and Jaroslava Brychtová, Gallery, Praha 2002, p. 40, listed as missing
Palata O., The Magic of Imagination – the glass of Stanislav Libenský and Jaroslava Brychtová in architecture, 2013, list of works for architecture lists it as missing

Stanislav Libenský – probably the most important Czech glass artist and teacher of the 2nd half of the 20th century. After studying at the glassmaking schools in Nový Bor and Železný Brod, he graduated from the Academy of Arts, Architecture and Design in Prague. In 1945, he returned to the Glassmaking Professional Secondary School in Nový Bor as the head of the department of glass painting and etching. In 1954, Libenský began working as the director of the Glassmaking Secondary Decorative Arts School in Železny Brod. In this capacity he continued in the work of Jaroslav Brychta, a member of the teaching staff and later the Director of the school. Jaroslav Brychta was the first Czech to use the forgotten technique of fusing glass in a mould for artistic usage. His daughter, Jaroslava Brychtová, learned this technique from him.
Jaroslava Brychtová (1924) graduated from the studio of prof. Štipl at the AAAD in Prague and later also from the Sculpture Studio of prof. Lauda at Prague’s AFA. She met director Stanislav Libenský in the Glassmaking School in Železný Brod, with whom she realized one of his drawings using the technique of fused glass. This was the beginning of Stanislav Libenský’s collaboration with Jaroslava Brychtová, leading to the creation of the famous Head-Bowl (1955). One of the earliest common works of Stanislav Libenský and Jaroslava Brychtová was a series of eight reliefs for Hotel Jalta on Wenceslas Square in Prague (1957, arch. Antonín Tenzer). Following their success with fused sculptures, the authors used this method for the first time to create a large-scale work – the individual pieces measure 80 centimeters. They later created the famous Zoomorphic stones for EXPO 58 in Brussels, for which they received the highest prize – the Grand Prix. The reliefs from Jalta on offer were originally located on the wall of the wine bar, where they were underlit to serve as intimate lighting as well as orientational elements for the individual booths of the wine bar. The authors of the relief likely wanted to allegorically depict natural elements: water, earth, and air (fish, crayfish, snake, grape, and bird), which, together with sunlight, provide the earth with energy. Influenced by the atmosphere of the time, they also added the conquering of the universe as a symbol of progress (the Sputnik I. satellite). The reliefs remained in the same location until the end of the 1980s, when they were removed due to reconstruction. They are currently part of a private collection.
The reliefs from Hotel Jalta on offer are thus a rare document the beginnings of the search for expressive possibilities in fused sculpture, which then became the main artistic output of this artistic duo.