Osvald Polívka
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Osvald Polívka (May 24, 1859 - April 30, 1931), Austrian-born Czech architect associated with the Secession / Art Nouveau period in Prague. Polívka designed many of Prague's significant landmarks of the era, plus other work in Brno and elsewhere.
After graduating from Czech Polytechnic in Prague, his first important commission was a collaboration with Antonin Wiehl, the 1894 Prague City Savings Bank. Polívka's style evolved through his active years but he remained devoted to the collaborating with artists for aesthetic effect. For the ornate landmark Municipal House he coordinated the work of many significant Czech muralists and sculptors of the time, including his friend Alfons Mucha.
Work includes:
- Prague City Savings Bank, Old Town Square, with Antonin Wiehl, 1894, with distinctive architectural sculptural groups by Bohuslav Schnirch
- Assicurazioni Generali offices, now the Viola Building, with Friedrich Ohmann, #7 Wenceslas Square, 1897
- U Novakú department store, 1902-1903
- co-architect with Municipal House (Obecní dům), with Antonin Balšánek, 1904-1912
- Topič House, circa 1905
- New Town Hall, 1908-1911, with architectural sculpture by Stanislav Sucharda, Josef Mařatka and Ladislav Šaloun
- Gallery of Modern Art in Hradec Králové, 1912, with allegorical sculpture by Šaloun flanking the entrance
