Chronology of the European Avant Garde, 19001937 - British Library

1926
• Piłsudski’s May Coup d’Etat; Sanacja Regime begins.
AUSTRIA
• Kassák’s last poetry performance in Vienna before his return to
Hungary.
FRANCE
• Zervos launches the review Cahiers d’art (-1960).
• Duchamp Anémic cinema.
• Aragon Le paysan de Paris.
• Le Corbusier Almanach d’architecture moderne.
• Paris. Max Ernst and Miró design sets for Diaghilev’s production
of Prokofiev’s Romeo and Juliet.
• Kassák travels to Paris and meets Éluard, Aragon, Le Corbusier,
Tzara, Goll, Chagall and others
GERMANY
• Mies van der Rohe becomes Director of the Berlin Werkbund.
• Foundation of the architects’ association ‘Der Ring’ in Berlin;
members include Walter Gropius and Mies van der Rohe.
• Klaus Mann’s Der fromme Tanz, one of the first German novels
dealing with the theme of homosexuality.
• Berlin: Major retrospective of the work of Lovis Corinth following
his death the previous year.
ITALY
• November L’Art Mécanique. Manifeste futuriste.
• The Modern Stage by Ferdo Delak published in Edinost, Trieste
1926.
• Prampolini L’Architettura futurista (manifesto).
SPAIN
• Revista de Occidente publishes Lorca’s Oda a Salvador Dalí.
RUSSIA
• Benois emigrates to Paris.
• Eisenstein releases his film The Battleship Potemkin and
Pudovkin his film version of Gorky’s Mother.
• The journal Contemporary Architecture is founded (- 1930).
• Publication of Asnova news edited by El Lissitzky.
• Moscow: Exhibition of Western Revolutionary Art includes works
by Uitz, Bortnyik, Kassák, Kudlák, Máttis Teutsch, mainly from the
collection of János Mácza. Zenitists Micić, Mikac and Poljanski
represent the Yugoslav avant-garde.
• Béla Uitz emigrates to Soviet Union.
CZECHOSLOVAKIA
• Nezval’s alphabet poems Abeceda are published with designs by
Teige featuring photographs of the choreographyof Milca
Mayerová.
• January Foundation of Devětsil´s theatre section, the
Osvobozené divadlo, (Liberated Theatre), under the directorship of
Jiří Frejka and J. Honza.
• May-June Kurt Schwitters performs to great acclaim in two
´grotesque evenings´ and a reading of his poetry in Prague,
followed by an exhibition of 50 of his collages at the Rudolfinum in
December.
• October Foundation of the Prague Linguistic Circle by
Bogatyrev, Mukařovský, Mathesius, Jakobson and Trubetskoy.
HUNGARY
• Budapest: Új Föld (New ground) group formed, mainly from
participants of “The Green Donkey Theatre”). Three performances
during the year, publications include Palasovszky’s Punalua, with
cover and graphics by Sándor Bortnyik.
• Róbert Berény returns to Hungary, carries on with painting and
engages in graphic design work.
• Kassák returns to Budapest permanently. His new journal
Dokumentum presents constructivist ideology, and is unique in
giving voice to emerging Hungarian surrealists in literature, like
Andor Németh, Tibor Déry or Gyula Illyés.
POLAND
• Blok splits up - the last issue of the magazine is devoted to the
International Exhibition of Architecture held in Warsaw.
• June Szymon Syrkus initiates a new association of architects
and painters called Praesens (1926- 1939). The authors of
programme statements emphasize the links between new
architecture and social demands.
• Construction begins on a new building for the National Museum
in Warsaw. The building, designed by Tadeusz Tołwiński, is
modern and functional.
UKRAINE
• Literary group “Avanhard” [Avant-garde”] organised by Valerian
Polishchuk (includes painters Vasyl Yermilov and H.Tsapok, poet
H. Koliada) proclaims the ideas of constructivism, dynamism,
“machinism” and “spiralism”.
• VAPLITE [Free Academy of Proletarian Literature] is founded by
Mykola Khvylovy.
YUGOSLAVIA
• The group Oblik (Form) is founded in Belgrade.