“Brussels Style” originates from the overwhelming success of Czechoslovakian design in the Expo 58 held in Brussels, where the pavilion won the highest prize, the Golden Star and 13 other major awards.
Although the exhibition was still under the influence of the official state ideology and propaganda, the Expo represents a major breakthrough in Czech culture.
The “Brussels style” affected almost all kinds of utilitarian art: from interiors to furniture, from glassware to lights. Artists and designers had freedom to collaborate directly with manufacturers that led to the mass distribution of these designer products.
Overall the style was seen as a ‘soft modernism’ and an optimistic trend, which sadly stopped abruptly in August 1968 with the Russian invasion.
