Vladislav URBAN

Vladislav Urban is one of the prominent yet often overlooked figures of 20th-century Czechoslovak design. His life and creative journey also reflect the story of a whole generation – a generation that, after an enthusiastic start, fell into oblivion simply because it dared to stand tall when the era of bowed backs began.

Urban began his studies at the Secondary School of Jewelry in Turnov (1952–1956), but his true artistic development took shape at the Academy of Arts, Architecture and Design in Prague (VŠUP), where he studied in the studio of Professor Karel Štipl, and later under the guidance of Václav Plátek and Jozef Soukup. It was here that he encountered a strong generation of pressed glass creators – his classmates included František Vízner and Jan Schmid. In his final year, he completed an internship at the glassworks in Dubí, which foreshadowed the direction of his career.

Together with Vízner and Rudolf Jurnikl, he became part of the legendary team at the Sklo Union Art Center in Teplice. In the 1960s, this trio of young designers completely redefined the concept of pressed glass – transforming it from a practical, inexpensive substitute for costly cut glass into a modern artistic material. While Jurnikl was a master of pure form and Vízner of technical precision, Urban brought unrestrained experimentation and the courage to try new things to the team.

His designs often relied on simple, smoothly evolving shapes that evoked organic growth – such as the famous vase No. 20048, where horizontal oval elements emerge from the surface of the vase like bubbles arranged in elegant vertical rows. He also worked with surface texture – vases like No. 1502 and No. 3386 are covered with details resembling tree bark or gentle bulges, giving otherwise simple forms a tangible visual strength.

Urban also contributed to technological innovation. He was one of the first to propose casting molds directly from models, which enabled the creation of irregular, lively surfaces – a typical example is the vase designed for the Libochovice glassworks No. 3412. Although this technique was later unjustly attributed to others, it clearly bears the mark of Urban’s experimental spirit.

However, his career was abruptly interrupted by the normalization period after 1968. Because of his political stance, Urban was forcibly removed from the Art Center in 1971. He left behind not only his job but also all his designs and molds – which were later used by other designers without credit. Urban retreated to Brno, where he found work at a furniture research institute. Yet he never abandoned glass – it remained his passion and a vital part of his creative world.

The story of Vladislav Urban is proof that quality and creativity cannot be silenced. Today, his works are once again earning their rightful place in the history of glass design – the vases he designed are not just objects, but a testament to an era, to courage, and to creative freedom.