In Degrees of Separation, scholars from the Czech Republic, Canada, Germany, and Hungary take a new approach to exploring the work of one of Central Europe’s most interesting modernist painters, Bohumil Kubišta. While many art historians have viewed Kubišta’s work solely in the context of an idealized Czech canon, Kubišta did not identify with a nation-state clearly defined by ethnicity, language, or territorial reach.

Taking a transnational approach that incorporates thorough topographical research, the authors attempt to redraw the map of European modernism by exploring the artist’s subversive approach to the stylistic currents of his time. The book reveals the complex relationships within early twentieth-century Europe, as Kubišta and other Central European artists tried to balance their admiration for the dominant artistic trends coming out of Paris with their desire to find alternative forms of expression arising from local artistic and intellectual sources. The richly illustrated book features a wealth of documentation, including an exhaustive timeline with notes, a comprehensive inventory of Kubišta’s works, and an up-to-date exhibition list.

Translated by: Phil Jones, Daniel Morgan