Ľubica Hustá
Antonín Hepnar, Czech designer, artist, and interior architect, is a representative of the pioneering generation that redefined modernist craft in Czechoslovakian environment. Hepnar works with wood and understands its elements perfectly. His work is almost exclusively done with one tool – the lathe. This mono specialization distinguishes his work from that of other designers and carpenters of his era.
Hepnar joined the scene in the 50s of the 20th century when he graduated from the University of Applied Arts in Prague. Significant appreciation for him came in the following decade. His handicraft and technological prowess was very interesting to fellow contemporary architects. Thus he participated in several projects such as the interior decoration of several government buildings in Czechoslovakia He suggested for example wooden bars for heating, lighting fixtures, or different compositions of taverns.
In addition, Hepnar is also an excellent lamp designer – illumination is one of his main themes of production. His lamps have sculptural expression based on organic modernism. The lamps are based on maximum reduction to basic shapes from which the details of modeling, sophisticated colors, and combinations of other materials finish the product. Gradually his works reflected contemporary trends for examples the use of metal materials, but again combining them with wood.
Lately Hepnar has been playing with the plastification of wood. It is a technique which requires a lot of experimenting to yield a number of improvements. Right now, Hepnar is focusing on the creation of wooden bowls and similar objects.