by Ivan Matusik, c. 1970–73, bipartite cut foam block, ecru coloured velour with a raised pattern, height 70 cm, width 68 cm, depth 87 cm, height of seat 35 cm. (DR)

Original condition.

Provenance: from one of the rooms of the Hotel Kyjev, Rajska 3, Bratislava, Slovakia, 1973–2011.

The Hotel Kyjev by the Slovak architect Ivan Matusik was the most modern, largest, and most luxurious hotel in Bratislava during the Communist era. Built together with the adjacent Prior department store between 1961 and 1973, it was closed down in 2011 and will be demolished in order to make room for a new building. The 15-storey high-riser was covered with travertine panels and both its exterior and interior were characterized by high quality and refined craftsmanship. In terms of form, the building referred to icons of the international style, such as the Lever Building in New York and especially the SAS Hotel by Arne Jacobsen in Copenhagen.

Lit.: H. Jurnaus - B. Konrad - M. Novotny, Eastmodern. Architecture and Design of the 1960s and 1970s in Slovakia, Springer Vienna - New York 2007, pp. 184/85, pp. 210–215 (From Model to Module: Interview with Ivan Matusik), ill. pp. 18/19 (exterior view), p. 21 (lobby), p. 22 (travertine wall), p. 23 (lobby/stairway), pp. 24/25 (details of the interior), pp. 26/27 (banquet hall), p. 29 (bar), pp. 31–35 (Club Kyjev), p. 37 (hotel room).