Not for glory! Not for gain! Commemorative glass figurines at the Czechoslovak Spartakiad 1955

In this paper I discussed my research into a series of glass figurines created by artist Miloslav Klinger for the 1955 International Spartakiad in Prague. Mass gymnastics in Socialist Czechoslovakia were a key site for the visual representation of ideological meaning. In the Czechoslovak context, this was layered with the semiotics of Sokol and the Czech National Awakening of the nineteenth century. As such, glass figurines created by artists connected to key sites of production in North Bohemia brought together a complex historical and political commentary beyond their role as souvenirs.