Meda Mládek: Czechoslovakia, USA, the Cold War and Art

Kód výsledku v IS VaVaI

<a href="https://www.isvavai.cz/riv?ss=detail&h=RIV%2F61989592%3A15210%2F25%3A73633494" target="_blank" >RIV/61989592:15210/25:73633494 - isvavai.cz</a>

Výsledek na webu

<a href="https://womenshistorynetwork.org/womens-history-today/" target="_blank" >https://womenshistorynetwork.org/womens-history-today/</a>

DOI - Digital Object Identifier

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Jazyk výsledku

angličtina

Název v původním jazyce

Meda Mládek: Czechoslovakia, USA, the Cold War and Art

Popis výsledku v původním jazyce

This article reconstructs the life and work of Meda Mládek within the framework of Cold War cultural diplomacy, showing how this Czech American collector navigated and connected two politically divided worlds through art. Drawing on extensive archival sources, it traces how Mládek—moving between Paris, Washington, DC, and communist Czechoslovakia—actively supported Czech artists, especially those associated with the neo-avant-garde, and used exhibitions as a form of “soft power” fundamentally different from the strategies employed by the Soviet bloc. Particular attention is paid to her decisive role in promoting artists such as František Kupka, Jiří Kolář, and Stanislav Kolíbal on the American art scene, as well as to her efforts to secure international mobility and fellowships for Czechoslovak intellectuals through institutions like the Ford Foundation. The second part of the study focuses on the post-1968 period, when political conditions in Czechoslovakia sharply deteriorated but Mládek continued her activities despite increasing surveillance and restrictions. The article shows how her Georgetown home became an unofficial platform for the presentation of Czech modern art, and how her persistent transatlantic networks helped sustain and amplify the international resonance of Czech neo-avant-garde artists at a time when they were marginalized at home. Ultimately, the study situates Mládek’s work within a broader history of transnational artistic relations, arguing that her efforts were driven not only by personal conviction and collector’s passion but also by a deeply held belief in culture as a vehicle of national survival—captured in the motto she lived by: “If culture survives, the nation survives.”

Název v anglickém jazyce

Meda Mládek: Czechoslovakia, USA, the Cold War and Art

Popis výsledku anglicky

This article reconstructs the life and work of Meda Mládek within the framework of Cold War cultural diplomacy, showing how this Czech American collector navigated and connected two politically divided worlds through art. Drawing on extensive archival sources, it traces how Mládek—moving between Paris, Washington, DC, and communist Czechoslovakia—actively supported Czech artists, especially those associated with the neo-avant-garde, and used exhibitions as a form of “soft power” fundamentally different from the strategies employed by the Soviet bloc. Particular attention is paid to her decisive role in promoting artists such as František Kupka, Jiří Kolář, and Stanislav Kolíbal on the American art scene, as well as to her efforts to secure international mobility and fellowships for Czechoslovak intellectuals through institutions like the Ford Foundation. The second part of the study focuses on the post-1968 period, when political conditions in Czechoslovakia sharply deteriorated but Mládek continued her activities despite increasing surveillance and restrictions. The article shows how her Georgetown home became an unofficial platform for the presentation of Czech modern art, and how her persistent transatlantic networks helped sustain and amplify the international resonance of Czech neo-avant-garde artists at a time when they were marginalized at home. Ultimately, the study situates Mládek’s work within a broader history of transnational artistic relations, arguing that her efforts were driven not only by personal conviction and collector’s passion but also by a deeply held belief in culture as a vehicle of national survival—captured in the motto she lived by: “If culture survives, the nation survives.”

Druh

J_ost - Ostatní články v recenzovaných periodicích

CEP obor

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OECD FORD obor

60401 - Arts, Art history

Projekt

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Návaznosti

N - Vyzkumna aktivita podporovana z neverejnych zdroju

Rok uplatnění

2025

Kód důvěrnosti údajů

S - Úplné a pravdivé údaje o projektu nepodléhají ochraně podle zvláštních právních předpisů

Název periodika

Women’s History Today

ISSN

2752-6704

e-ISSN

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Svazek periodika

Volume 3

Číslo periodika v rámci svazku

Issue 14

Stát vydavatele periodika

GB - Spojené království Velké Británie a Severního Irska

Počet stran výsledku

12

Strana od-do

13-24

Kód UT WoS článku

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EID výsledku v databázi Scopus

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