This joint lecture, which was hosted by the Irish Architectural Archive within the framework of the temporary exhibition Villa Tugendhat (22 January 2026 to10 April 2026), brought together two specialist speakers in the area of architecture, design and the visual arts, to discuss the evolution of arts and design, from Art Nouveau to Functionalism, in Central Europe in the first decades of the 20th century: Prof Robert Votický, Professor Emeritus of Architecture at Brno Technical University; the Architecture Institute Prague; and the Academy of Fine Arts and Design, Bratislava, and Academic Architect Jarmila Mucha Plocková, visual artist and designer, and grand-daughter of Czech painter and designer Alphonse Mucha.

The event, which was well attended by an academic and professional audience, as well as by numerous members of the general public, was introduced by Pavel Vošalík, the Ambassador of the Czech Republic to Ireland.

Event coordination and simultaneous translation: Dr Katerina García, Department of Hispanic Studies, SLLCS.