Nicholas Lowry sets out on a journey through Czech graphic design, national identity, and his own family history. The screening will be followed by a Q&A with designer Michal Gregorini and collector Nicholas Lowry.
TICKETSIdentity: A Czech Graphic Design Love Story / directed by Kateřina Mikulcová and Petr Smělík / 2024 / documentary, road movie / Czechia / in English and Czech with English subtitles / 85 minutes
World-renowned auctioneer, passionate collector, and Czech American Nicholas Lowry travels from New York to Prague to explore what has shaped, and continues to define, Czech national identity. His journey across Czechia takes him to major centers of graphic design, including Zlín, Litomyšl, Brno, and Plzeň. Along the way, he encounters the legacy of Tomáš Baťa, Josef Váchal, Alphonse Mucha, and Ladislav Sutnar, as well as the visual history of Plzeň’s famous beer.
Dressed in his unmistakable tartan suit, this eccentric guide heads to South Moravia to examine the aesthetics of wine labels, joins a tramping excursion along trails marked by the Czech Tourist Club, and meets leading contemporary designers, including Petr Babák, Martin Pecina, and Aleš Najbrt.
His search for the many forms of Czech identity also becomes a personal journey. Along the way, Nicholas reconnects with his own roots through the story of his great-uncle, who founded the Primeros factory in Prague and left his own mark on the history of Czech graphic design.
The screening will be followed by a Q&A with designer Michal Gregorini and collector Nicholas Lowry.
