Kubasta, Vojtech. Lidovy Betlem. Prague: Panorama Publishing House, 1992. Second edition. Double folio sheet (35 x 24 cm). Uncut color-printed nativity scene. Text in Czech. Original unassembled fine condition with bright colors and intact die-cuts.
A rare late-period pop-up tableau by celebrated Czech paper engineer Vojtech Kubasta. This edition of Lidovy Betlem (translated as "People’s Crèche") reproduces Kubasta’s 1953 nativity scene, now printed on heavier stock by Grafiatisk and published by Panorama. All elements are present on a single double folio sheet, uncut and unassembled, as originally issued.
Kubasta set this nativity in a traditional Czechoslovak farmhouse kitchen—an unusual and charming departure from standard biblical backdrops. This 1992 version bears updated illustration copyright from 1991 and publishing information reading: “Lidovy Betlem. Nakreslil Vojtech Kubasta. Vydalo nakladatelstvi a vydavatelstvi Panorama, Praha 1992. Odpovedna redaktorka Helena Bradova. 2. vydani. Grafiatisk a.s., Decin.”
Condition: Fine. Bright, uncut sheet with no wear or defects. Ideal for preservation or careful assembly.
Collector’s Corner:
This 1992 printing is the third known edition of Lidovy Betlem, following the original 1953 cut-and-paste sheet and a possible 1967 version noted in Opus VK. All versions are rare. This was one of the final interactive nativity scenes created by Kubasta before his death.
According to James A. Findlay and Ellen G.K. Rubin’s reference volume Pop-ups, Illustrated Books, and Graphic Designs of Czech Artist and Paper Engineer, Vojtech Kubasta (1914–1992), Kubasta’s nativity tableaux—estimated at fifteen to seventeen total—are among his rarest and most collectible works. They range from elaborate pop-ups and table decorations to cut-out crèches and greeting cards.
Kubasta’s first known nativity appeared in 1939 in the Czech magazine Echoes. Between 1951 and 1954, four additional cut-out nativities were issued as Christmas inserts in Czech magazines:
ČESKÉ JESLIČKY – “Czech Crib” – 1951
Pojďte s námi do Betléma – “Come with us to Bethlehem” – 1952
Lidovy Betlem – “People’s Crèche” – 1953 , possibly 1967, 1991, 1992
Moravské Jesličky – “Moravian Crib” – 1954
Later sets included:
Lidove Jeslicky – 1967 and 1968
Vánoční Betlém – 1968 Oftis, reprinted by Giamon Roman (1990) and pirated in 2011
Pražský Betlém – 1968 and 1969 Orbis; 1991 panorama sheet
Loretánský Betlém – Orbis, 1972
References:
Gielen, Theo. “Kubasta’s Christmas Pop-Ups.” Movable Stationary, Vol. 21, No. 4 (Nov. 13).
Findlay, James A., and Ellen G.K. Rubin. Pop-Ups, Illustrated Books, and Graphic Designs of Czech Artist and Paper Engineer, Vojtech Kubasta (1914–1992).
Vánoční Betlém. https://www.vanocnibetlem.cz