Views of Albion: The Reception of British Art and Design in Central Europe, 1890 –1918

"Until a few years ago much art history had been dominated by a Franco-centric model, considering France as the sole trendsetting cultural centre for the European and the international avant-garde. It had been therefore widely accepted that ideas from France had been permeating into the other countries across time. Andrzej Szczerski’s Views of Albion: The Reception of British Art and Design in Central Europe was a game-changer. It compellingly demonstrated that the model based on the distinction between centre and periphery no longer adequately explains the actual patterns of artistic dissemination. This is because the countries traditionally deemed ‘peripheral’ were not constrained by having to look exclusively to France or another cultural ‘centre’ for sources of inspiration. They were able to establish direct contact between themselves, which undermines the very idea of ‘periphery vs centre’. “The other defining characteristic of the Arts and Crafts movement is the aspiration to equate all branches of art” Views of Albion shows that British ideas, disseminating by means of various periodicals, books, travel, and personal contacts, were in fact tremendously influential in the Polish lands. This exciting monograph traces the reception of British art and design in Central Europe between 1890 and 1918, mapping the whole cultural landscape. The book not only sets a new paradigm, but also has a breathtaking scope, covering the whole of Central Europe including Germany, Austria, Poland, the Czech lands, Slovakia, Hungary, and Southern Slavic countries. This sort of comprehensive study would be an accomplishment in one country alone! Andrzej Szczerski’s seminal research has specifically demonstrated that for example, in the Polish lands Pre-Raphaelitism was very much viewed as an inherent link with the Arts and Crafts movement, recognising the Brotherhood’s vital role in the design reform in Britain, which is sometimes forgotten in Britain today. Views of Albion sheds fascinating light on Klimt’s British inspirations, including visual tributes to Rossetti, Edward Burne-Jones , Aubrey Beardsley and Margaret Macdonald. That’s incredible, I agree. That’s right. In the case of Young Poland those distinctions were not so clear-cut. Due to political oppression Polish artists were simultaneous trying to develop an autonomous artistic idiom, aimed at preserving an endangered cultural identity, whilst striving to keep up with progressive trends in Europe to be taken seriously in an international arena. This is why during the Young Poland period there were many competing and blending influences, including the French and Austrian Art Nouveau. Our book Young Poland argues that Polish art displayed most paramount commonalities with the British ethos. Similarly, Views of Albion had first offered a thought-provoking overview of British inspirations in Polish art, looking for example at the work of Wyspiański, Stanisław Mehoffer, and the extraordinary bookbinder Bonawentura Lenart, who actually visited Britain during his training, attending classes at the Camberwell School of Art and meeting direct descendants of Morris’s bookbinding legacy. It also looks at the extraordinary designers Karol Frycz, Henryk Uziembło, who studied in Britain, as well as the links between British Arts and Crafts architecture and the Zakopane style – including Witkiewicz’s correspondence with Ruskin. Views of Albion includes some fascinating visual material as well and has become the standard work of reference on the European reception on British ideas."