The second oldest gallery in Europe after the Louvre presents masterpieces of Czech and international art in permanent and temporary exhibitions. The exhibition areas of the National Gallery in Prague are located in the following historical buildings: the Monastery of St. Agnes of Bohemia, the Kinsky Palace, the Salma Palace, the Schwarzenberg Palace, the Sternberg Palace, the Wallenstein Riding School and the Fair Palace (Veletržní).
History of Creation
The history of the National Gallery in Prague began on February 5, 1796, when a group of patriotic Czech nobility, together with a few middle-class intellectuals from the ranks of the Enlightenment movement, decided to "improve the taste of local society."
A corporation dubbed the "Society of Patriotic Friends of the Arts" opened two establishments that Prague had previously lacked: the Academy of Fine Arts and the public Art Gallery.gallery of the Society of Patriotic Friends of the Arts. It was the direct predecessor of what is today the National Gallery in Prague. In 1902, another institution appeared - the Modern Gallery of the Kingdom of Bohemia, a private institution of Emperor Franz Joseph I.
In 1918, the Art Gallery of the Society of Patriotic Friends of the Arts became the central art collection of the new Czechoslovak state. In 1919, Vincenk Kramář was appointed director of the gallery, and in a short time he succeeded in transforming the institution into a relatively modern and professional one. During the difficult war period, in 1942, it was transferred to the control of the National Gallery of the Czecho-Moravian Land. The National Gallery Act 1949 legalized the procedure.
Currently, the exposition has seven permanent exhibitions. The works on display at the National Gallery in Prague cover the period from the Middle Ages to the present day.
European art from antiquity to baroque
The exhibition is located in the Sternberg Palace. It was created in 2002-2003. The first part includes works of art from ancient Greece and Rome. The exhibition halls on the first floor contain famous works of art from the 14th-16th centuries, which are part of the collection of the Konopiste Castle, the residence of Archduke Franz Ferdinand d'Este. There are works by old Tuscan masters (B. Daddy, L. Monaco), works of the Venetian school (Vivarini workshop) and masterpieces of Florentine mannerism (A. Bronzino, A. Allori).
OnThe second floor of the palace exhibits works by Italian, Spanish, French and Dutch masters from the 16th to the 18th century. Here you can find paintings by the most famous European artists such as Tintoretto, Ribera, Tiepolo, El Greco, Goya, Rubens and Van Dyck. There is also a collection of Flemish and Dutch masters, notably works by Rembrandt, Hals, Terborch, Ruysdale and Van Goyen. On the ground floor there is an exhibition of German and Austrian art of the 16th-18th centuries.
Medieval Art of Bohemia and Central Europe 1200-1550
This exhibition was opened in November 2000 in the authentic building of the monastery of St. Agnes of Bohemia, founded around 1231 by St. Agnes, daughter of Přemysl Otakar I.
The first part of the exhibition on the ground floor traces the development of Czech art from panel paintings and sculptures of the mid-14th century (the altarpiece master Vyšy Brod, master Maddo Michla) and the “soft” style of master Taodorik to the paintings of the master maker of altars Trebon. Bohemian and Moravian works from the 15th and early 16th centuries coexist with works from other Central European regions, with which Bohemia maintained close cultural ties at the time.
Art from the Rudolfinum era to the Baroque in Bohemia
The exposition is located in Schwarzenberg Palace. From January 7, 2019, it will be temporarily closed due to the preparation of a new permanent exhibition. There are about 160 sculptural exhibits and 280 works of the late Renaissance and Baroque,created on the territory of the lands of the crown of Bohemia from the end of the 16th to the end of the 18th centuries.
These include the famous stone sculptures by Matthias Bernhard Braun from the attic of the Clam-Gallas Palace in Prague (1714-1716) and two angels from the hermitage near Lys nad Labem, the figure of the Moor from the gate of Konice Castle, created by Maximilian Brokoff. It also presents works of the 18th century: sculptural and pictorial sketches, models, author's replicas and copies.
Modern Czech Art 1850–1900
The exposition is located in the Palace of Fairs. The history of Czech contemporary art begins in the middle of the 19th century. The art collection traces its development through distinct creative generations and individual artists, including the main representatives of realism Viktor Barvitsy and Karel Purkyne, the theatrical generation Josef Vaclav Myslbek and Vojtěch-Hajnais, as well as artists representing Art Nouveau and Symbolism Alfons Mucha and Max Pirner.
The founding generation of contemporary artists is represented by Antonin Slavicek, Jan Preisler and Max Schwabinsky. The National Gallery also houses the most comprehensive collection of works by František Kupka, which documents the artist's progress from symbolism to abstract art.
Art of the Czechoslovak Republic 1918-1938
The permanent exhibition is located on the third floor of the Palace of Exhibitions, its creation is dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the founding of Czechoslovakia. The exhibition presents the art of a young independentCzechoslovakia between 1918 and 1938. It is interdisciplinary, presenting not only visual works of art, but also other cultural forms that flourished during the first republic, such as book illustrations, design, graphic design, etc. The permanent exhibition is accompanied by a broad educational program.
Modern Czech art from 1930 to present
Czech art that emerged after 1930 includes works by František Muzyk, Josef Szyma, Jindřich Sztyrski, Toyen, Zdeněk Sklenař, Jan Kotik or Václav Bartowski. In addition, the permanent collection also explores art movements from the 1960s to the present: Art Informel, Action Art, New Sensitivity and postmodern art.
Graphics Collection
Located in the Schwarzenberg Palace, it is one of the ten largest and most outstanding graphic collections in Europe. It consists of approximately 450,000 engravings, drawings and fragments of the manuscript relating to the Middle Ages and the present. This is the largest collection of the National Gallery in Prague.
It developed relatively slowly, and not as part of the Art Gallery of Patriotic Friends of the Arts, f from the beginning of the 19th century - in the Academy, where its exhibits served as teaching aids. The collection was created by gradually combining various graphic collections, including the Clementinum library and donations, such as the graphic collection of the main collectorJoseph Hoser.
The collection includes German and Netherlandish graphic art dating from the first half of the 16th century, with works by Albrecht Dürer, Lucas van Leyden and their contemporaries; collection of Italian Renaissance drawings. There is even a famous self-portrait of Giuseppe Arcimboldo here. Also noteworthy are the engravings of Jacques Callot, the graphics of Rembrandt van Rijn and his school, as well as Central European and especially Czech works of the 17th century. It also houses over 5,000 prints and drawings by Václav Hollar. As for the art of the 18th century, the etchings by Giovanni Battista Piranesi should be mentioned.
The extensive 19th century collection features works by the Manes family, etchings by Josef Bergler and drawings by Caspar David Friedrich and Giovanni Segantini. A very valuable collection of works on paper from the French collection, including works by Pablo Picasso or Georges Braque. The works of Bochumil Kubišta and Otto Guttfrund, the surrealist Jindrich Styrski and Toyen represent contemporary Czech art.
Exhibitions
Currently, the National Gallery in Prague has 18 temporary exhibitions. Here are just a few:
- Bonjour, monsieur Gauguin: Czech painter in Britain 1850-1950. The exhibition is located in the Kinsky Palace and will run until March 17, 2019.
- "Jindřich Chalupecký Award 2018". The exhibition presents the works of the winners of this award: Alzhbeta Batsikova, Lukas Hofmann, Thomas Kazanek, Katerina Olivova.
- Paintings not only fromCzech history. The exhibition is located in the Palace of Fairs. It has something to do with the centenary of the founding of Czechoslovakia. Here are paintings from the beginning of the 17th century until 1918.
- "Opening Poetry No. 7: Egil Sabjornsson, Stairs". The exhibition presents the work of the Icelandic artist, the poetry of Egil Sabjornsson in motion.
- Art of Asia open storage exhibition.
- "Giambattista Tiepolo and Sons".
Visitor information
Address of the National Gallery in Prague: Staroměstské náměstí 12, 110 00 Praha 1- Staré Město. You can contact by phone numbers listed on the official website.
When visiting exhibitions, remember that in Prague the National Art Gallery and its expositions are located in different buildings:
- Schwarzenberg Palace - Hradčanské náměstí 2, Prague 1.
- Monastery of St. Agnes of Bohemia - U Milosrdných 17, Prague 1.
- Sternberg Palace - Hradčanské náměstí 15, Prague 1.
- Fair Palace - Dukelských hrdinů 47 Prague 7.
- Kinsky Palace - Staroměstské náměstí 12, Prague 1.
When visiting all permanent exhibitions, the cost of tickets for the National Gallery in Prague is 500 crowns (about 1,500 rubles). When visiting one or more permanent exhibitions, you will have to pay 220 kroons for admission to each of them, the cost of a preferential visit will be 120 kroons (about 350 rubles). When visiting temporary exhibitions, the cost of a full ticket will be 220 (about 640rubles) kroons, preferential - 150 kroons (about 440 rubles), a family ticket - 350 kroons (about 1000 rubles), a ticket for a group of schoolchildren will cost 30 kroons (about 80 rubles). All exhibitions can be visited free of charge by children and young people under 18 and students under 26. Exhibitions can be viewed independently, or you can book tours of the National Gallery in Prague.
Gallery opening hours: Monday is a day off, from Tuesday to Sunday all exhibitions are open from 10:00 to 18:00, on Wednesday from 10:00 to 20:00.
