Adolf Wenig

Adolf Wenig was a Czech scenographer and costume designer, regarded as one of the most prominent figures of 20th-century Czech stage design. He studied at the Academy of Fine Arts in Prague (1929–1935) and began collaborating with the National Theatre as early as 1937. From 1939 to 1948, he served as head of stage design at the Vinohrady Theatre, contributing to dozens of productions. He designed not only sets but also costumes, which he skillfully connected to the character and atmosphere of each play. From 1953 until his retirement in 1978, he was the resident scenographer of the Prague Municipal Theatres, while also working with other companies. His work proved so timeless that three years after his death, the Smetana Theatre staged Janáček’s The Cunning Little Vixen using costumes he had designed earlier. Critics hailed him as a “master of stage design,” and his legacy remains an essential part of Czech scenographic history.