One of the new big Prague residential areas is that of New Barrandov. According to the original urbanistic intention there are 12 000 flats for 40 000 inhabitants. Regarding the closeness of world-famous Barrandov film studios naming of new streets is obvious. A passer-by, who is walking through the residential area, reminds the geniuses of the world and Czechoslovak cinematography when reading the street names.
Likewise the architecture of the residential area was completed with pieces of art in some case, which are related to the film industry. One of those is a sculpture of Charlie Chaplin (1889-1977) in the northern beginning of the pedestrian zone, in the square named in his honour. World-famous comic actor has moved millions of viewers all over the world to laughter in his masterly acted parts.
Among the submitted designs for the sculpture it was chosen a sculpture by academic sculptor Vladimír Preclík (1929-2008), whose huge work we can admire in numerous Czech towns and in some prominent world galleries. M. Zet, J. Hladký, P. Šedivý and Z. Preclík presented their ideas in the announced tender as well.
Sculpture of „the eternal wanderer“ Charlie Chaplin is standing in the middle of the round area in front of the school building. At the same time the area is a crossing point of the pedestrian roads. The artist has made the figure of Chaplin as six silhouettes, which represents six phases of the film shot. Thus the viewer may have the feeling that the popular comic actor enters the actor’s heaven from his famous basic posture through the film strip.
