Published in Prague for only four years (1926-1930), these issues of the rare Czechoslovakian periodical, Výtvarné snahy [Art Endeavors], feature covers designed by Ladislav Sutnar during 1928 and 1929. Relevant to the National Design Library’s rare and special collections for both content and graphic design, they also support Cooper-Hewitt Museum’s Sutnar archives and holdings, representing his earlier work while still living in Prague.
These eight issues comprise the complete 10th volume of this magazine featuring modern Czech art, design, architecture and decorative arts. Illustrating Sutnar’s application of the New Typography movement (influenced by Lisstzky, Maholy-Nagy and Dutch experimentalists), these covers use “letters and words and visual signals and activate the page space by applying a geometrical grid.” (Janáková, 2003) Serving as the art editor of Prague’s largest publishing house, Drustevní Prace [Cooperative Works] from 1929-1939, Sutnar also designed many book jackets (several held by the National Design Library) as well as journal covers during this active and formative time in his career.
