The collection exhibition 1918-1938: The First Republic was created to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Czechoslovak Republic and presents the rich artistic production and artistic activity of the young state in the years 1918-1938. In addition to paintings and sculptures by leading Czech, Slovak, Czech-German and Carpathian artists (Václav Špála, Josef Čapek, Jindřich Štyrský, Toyen, August Brӧmse, Maxim Kopf, Wenzel Hablik, etc.) as well as works from the famous French collection (Paul Gauguin, Henri Rousseau, Pablo Picasso, Vincent van Gogh, etc.), which the Czechoslovak state purchased shortly after its foundation in the 1920s and 1930s.
The exhibition project is a medium-term collection exhibition on the 3rd floor of the Trade Fair Palace. Based on the collections of the National Gallery Prague, supplemented by loans from other institutions or private collections, it presents the rich and cosmopolitan creativity and artistic activity of the twenty-year period of independent Czechoslovakia, between 1918-1938. It is not limited to fine art works, but also has interdisciplinary overlaps by presenting other cultural and artistic areas of the First Republic (book production, design, applied graphic design,...).
The exhibition presents the art of the First Republic through the eyes of the art-loving viewer of the time, through the key galleries, art associations and other cultural institutions, and introduces visitors to the important cultural centres. First and foremost, the capital as an artistic centre with a busy exhibition activity featuring not only the work of domestic artists but also that of foreign ones. Then Brno, Zlín, Bratislava, Košice and Uzhhorod. The exhibition includes partial reconstructions of major exhibitions that took place in these centres during the First Republic - the exhibitions of the Tvrdošíjné, the Exhibition of Contemporary Culture in Brno, Poesie 1932 or the First Exhibition of Surrealists in the Czechoslovakia. The exhibition is not limited exclusively to free art, but also has interdisciplinary overlaps - from book typography to applied design.
Within the given temporal and spatial framework, the project presents significant events in the field of visual culture during the so-called First Republic, with emphasis on the cosmopolitan and multinational character of its territory. This approach aims not only to present with historical fidelity the richness and diversity of the young state's culture, but also to serve as a lesson for today, when ignorance of the past often results in xenophobic attitudes. The exhibition is also accompanied by a rich educational and professional accompanying programme.
Curatorial team: Anna Pravdová, cooperation Lada Hubatová-Vacková
Trade Fair Palace - 3rd floor
The exhibition is part of the AUDIO GUIDE, which was created on the occasion of the documentary exhibition 100 years of the French collection.
Twelve works from this exhibition and eight works from the 1796-1918: Art of the Long Century is supplemented by expert commentary that you can listen to on your device. Please be considerate and use headphones.
The exhibition was created with the financial support of Ministry of Culture of the Czech Republic and was launched as part of the celebrations to commemorate the significant anniversaries of 2018 associated with our statehood.
The National Gallery Prague would like to thank all lenders of works:
Czech Post, s.p., Postal Museum
Kunsthalle Prague
Moravian Gallery in Brno
Brno City Museum
National Film Archive
National Museum - Náprstek Museum of Asian, African and American Cultures
National Museum - Historical Museum
Regional Gallery Liberec
Memorial of National Literature in Prague
Slovak National Gallery
Tate, London
Technical Museum in Brno
Museum of Decorative Arts in Prague
Eastern Slovak Gallery, Košice
Eastern Slovak Museum in Košice
Private collections
ngprague.cz/GN.CZ-Jana Černá_07
https://www.ngprague.cz/udalost/404/1918-1938-prvni-republika
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