House of the Black Madonna

Welcome to a building where art broke every rule in 1912. The House of the Black Madonna stands at the corner of Celetná Street and Ovocný trh in the Old Town, marked by its distinctive angular facade and a baroque statue behind a golden grille. This five story structure was the first cubist building in Prague, designed by 31 year old architect Josef Gočár for wholesale merchant František Josef Herbst. While Picasso and Braque were experimenting with cubism on canvas in Paris, Gočár brought those radical geometric principles into three dimensional architecture. The building sparked fierce controversy because it replaced a baroque structure, yet its sharp angles and crystalline forms somehow harmonized with the historic surroundings. Inside, every detail followed cubist philosophy. The Grand Café Orient on the first floor featured heavy wrought iron chandeliers, angular furniture, and a bar counter of dark stained oak, all designed by Gočár himself. The reinforced concrete skeleton, inspired by Chicago's modern construction techniques, allowed for large pillar free interior spaces. Since 2003, the Museum of Decorative Arts has operated the building as the Museum of Czech Cubism, with permanent exhibitions spanning two floors and temporary exhibitions on the upper levels showcasing how Czech artists transformed cubism into furniture, ceramics, glass, and everyday objects between 1911 and 1914.