Moravian Gallery in Brno Launches Exhibition ‘Jan Plecháč: Vzhůru!’
21. 2. 2025
The museum presents “Jan Plecháč: Vzhůru!” featuring renowned Czech designer Jan Plecháč—named Grand Designer of the Year 2023 by the Czech Grand Design awards. Open to the public from February 21, 2025, until January 25, 2026, the exhibition offers a unique look at the fifteen-year career of this talented creator. The opening ceremony was held on February 20, 2025, at 6 p.m., followed by a debate titled “OPEN DESIGN FACTORY – The Contribution of Design Firms to Tourism and Vice Versa,” moderated by Petr Šimůnek. The winners of the Czech Grand Design 2024 awards—including the overall Grand Designer of 2024 and a new honorary member of the Czech Design Hall of Fame—will be announced during a creative gala at the Stavovské Theatre in Prague on Monday, March 3, 2025, at 8 p.m., with a live broadcast on ČT art and iVysílání.
This is the fourth exhibition showcasing a recipient of the highest honor, the Grand Designer award, which is presented annually by an expert panel to the best domestic creators. Jan Plecháč received this title last year for his designs—the Abbys and Harmonic vases, as well as the Duše lesa collection—created for Moser, where he now serves as artistic director. His work is celebrated both in the Czech Republic and internationally. “Jan Plecháč has an extraordinary talent for capturing authentic artistic expression, with a refined sense for material, form, and color—and he is always ready to explore bold, innovative solutions. In him, designer and artist come together,” notes curator Michaela Kádnerová.
A graduate of architecture from Prague’s UMPRUM, Plecháč met Henry Wielgus there, and together they founded a successful studio in 2011, collaborating until 2019. Their work earned numerous international and domestic awards, with projects for brands such as Denmark’s Menu, Italy’s Cappellini, Czech Bomma, and Lasvit. In 2022, Plecháč became the artistic director of Moser, and under his leadership the glassworks have achieved many accolades—including a triple win at the Czech Grand Design 2023 awards (Designer of the Year, Manufacturer of the Year, and overall Grand Designer) and recognition at the Designblok 2023 festival. In 2024, his Moser installation won the Grand Prix at the Designblok 2024 awards, as decided by an international jury led by Benedicto Hobson, co-editor of Dezeen.
For the first time, the museum brings together a diverse selection of Jan Plecháč’s work, showcasing key pieces from his artistic evolution—from his diploma project “Icons,” to the “Neverending Glory” chandeliers for Lasvit, and the Abbys vase for Moser. “The Grand Designer exhibition at the Museum of Applied Arts is truly one-of-a-kind. Jan Plecháč, the undisputed winner of the Czech Grand Design 2023 awards, will impress not only with his innovative spatial concepts but also with interactive elements that even captivate young visitors through small 3D-printed figures. It marks an important milestone on his upward journey alongside Moser,” comments Jan Press, director of the Moravian Gallery.
The designer’s signature epic installations are on full display in Brno. “I wanted to transform the gallery into a dynamic stage for development and transformation. The works I’ve created over the past fifteen years seem to move into the gallery on pallets and crates, gathering from different corners of the world in one place. Design isn’t a solo pursuit—on every journey, there are those who support you with advice, experience, or simply by being there. That’s why I’m not alone in this exhibition,” Plecháč explains, emphasizing that success in design relies not only on talent and hard work but also on the support and collaboration of many people.
Jana Zielinski, a member of the Czech Grand Design Preparatory Committee and director of the Designblok festival, summarized the upcoming exhibition—another installment in the Grand Designer series—and highlighted the Moravian Gallery’s commitment to promoting Czech design. “Under Jan Press’s leadership and the curatorial vision of Ondřej Chrobák and Michaela Kádnerová, the Moravian Gallery in Brno has long supported contemporary Czech design. Four years ago, this team launched the first exhibition of a Czech Grand Design award winner, presenting Lucie Koldová, followed by the duo Vrtiška & Žák and then Lexová & Smetana. Now, Jan Plecháč, Grand Designer of 2023, carries the baton. His exhibition, aptly titled ‘Vzhůru!’ captures both his remarkable sense of form and space and addresses contemporary design themes. This year, in collaboration with the Association of Czech Industrial Design, we will also explore how design influences tourism—an industry that drives the economy and spurs socio-economic change. We are thrilled to have such an enlightened and influential partner in the Moravian Gallery for promoting and developing Czech design.”
On Friday, March 21, at 9:30 a.m., the museum hosted its third inspiring debate on “OPEN DESIGN FACTORY – The Contribution of Design Firms to Tourism and Vice Versa,” organized by the Moravian Gallery in partnership with the Association of Czech Industrial Design and the Czech Grand Design awards. The discussion focused on the importance of “open door” policies, the architectural transformation of company buildings and their surroundings, making factories visitor-friendly, and the overall benefits of tourism for regions and the country. The debate was opened by the Minister for Regional Development, Ing. Petr Kulhánek, along with the Vice-Chair of the Association of Czech Industrial Design, Kateřina Kadlecová, and Jan Press. The program was divided into two parts: the first provided international examples from brands that symbolize design and national success—featuring case studies from Moser, Rückl, USSPA, Preciosa, and Lasvit—and concluded with a discussion with Minister Kulhánek on what design firms bring to tourism. Panelists included Jana Zielinski (Designblok), Kateřina Kadlecová (AČPD and USSPA), Aneta Hoffmannová (Bomma and Rückl), and Jan Plecháč (Moser). The second part showcased selected Czech “open factories” that attract hundreds of thousands of visitors annually, with a final debate on “The Design Factory as the Showcase of the Czech Republic: Design & Tourism,” featuring David Karásek (mmcité & AČPD), Richard Vodička (Egoé), and Vladimír Žák (SONNENTOR).
The “Jan Plecháč: Vzhůru!” exhibition will be on view at the Museum of Applied Arts in Brno until January 21, 2026. Meanwhile, the Czech Grand Design finalists’ exhibition “SHOTBY.US: Space of Desire” is open at Kunsthalle Prague until March 10, 2025. The award ceremony for Czech Grand Design 2024 is scheduled for Monday, March 3, 2025, at 8 p.m. at the Stavovské Theatre in Prague and will be broadcast live on ČT art and iVysílání. A full list of the Czech Grand Design 2024 finalists is available at czechgranddesign.cz.
