Villa Stiassni invites you to the exhibition: The Past and Present of Villa Thonet in Koryčany
The town of Koryčany together with MCMA in Brno prepared a travelling exhibition "Sleeping Beauty. Past and present of villa Thonet in Koryčany. The exhibition is not only intended to draw attention to the turbulent fate of the magnificent family house that Alfred Thonet had built in Koryčany at the end of the 19th century, but also to place the villa and the nearby factory in the context of the business and construction activities of the members of the extended Thonet family over the course of approximately one hundred years.
The exhibition consists of panels with dense texts and rich visual material, supplemented by large-format photographs, a model of Villa Thonet and several pieces of iconic Thonet furniture.
"Co-owner of the Gebrüder Thonet company and mayor of Koryčany, Alfred Thonet (1867-1935), had a family house built for himself and his American wife Ida Wanner (1872-1949) in 1896, designed by the world-famous Viennese architectural studio Fellner & Helmer. In 1907, after a devastating fire, Alfred initiated the construction of a new modern factory building with a reinforced concrete skeleton on Masarykova Street according to the design of Ed. Ast & Co." says the author of the exhibition, historian Petra Svobodová.
Mayor of Koryčany Hana Jamborová emotionally recalls her first visit to the villa: "The first time I went there was in 2015 and I can hardly describe the feelings I experienced. Especially in the hall, by the dominant staircase. It was a huge surprise, amazement at the architecture, the technical design and the craftsmanship of the artisans." She adds: "Despite its current state, caused by long years without maintenance and lifelessness, the villa remains beautiful and deserves to shine again in all its glory. We have here a jewel that needs to be cared for."
In addition to Koryčany and Alfred Thonet, the exhibition focuses on the Thonet factories and other buildings in Bystřice pod Hostýnem, Vsetín, Halenkov, Velké Uherce, Frankenberg, Novoradom, Brno and Vienna. And also to some important members of the Thonet family, such as August, who not only worked as a long-time director of the factory in Bystřice, but was also a talented furniture designer and composer. The exhibition will also present the organisation of production in the factories, the way products are distributed and their promotion. Last but not least, it will be recalled that the tradition of manufacturing bentwood furniture is currently continued by the factories in Bystřice pod Hostýnem (TON, a.s.) or Frankenberg (Thonet GmbH). We can admire the technical art and artistic sensitivity of Michael Thonet and his descendants on products in many collections of Czech and international heritage institutions (e.g. the Museums of Decorative Arts in Prague and Vienna) or in specialized museum exhibitions in the Czech Republic and abroad.
The historian and archivist Karel Müller, director emeritus of the Silesian Provincial Archive in Opava, co-authored the genealogical tree and the historian Pavel Borský, author of the precise building-historical research of Villa Thonet, participated in the creation of the exhibition. Many thanks to the many Koryčany residents who, with their enthusiasm, interest and personal memories, have been a source of constant inspiration for the author of the exhibition.
The exhibition will be open to the public in the Exhibition Building on the grounds of Villa Stiassni during the opening hours of the villa until 5 May 2025. The opening will take place on 4 March 2025 at 5 pm.
