New Collection Expositions
This year, the
National Gallery will open two newly prepared collection expositions. The first one is in the
Schwarzenberg Palace in front of the
Prague Castle and it will open on
13 September 2019. The exposition will be titled
Old Masters and you will find the most valuable items from the old classic art collection there, in particularly art from the 16
th to the 18
th century, by artists such as Hans von Aachen, Petr Brandl, Lucas Cranach or Peter Paul Rubens and many more. Together with the new exposition, the main entrance to the palace and the individual palace floors will also open to the public, with European Renaissance and Baroque artworks on display. The second exposition will open on
12 November in the main building of the National Gallery, in the
Fair Trade Palace. It will be titled
1796–1917: The Art of the Longest Century. The concept of the exposition is based on the most important topics, typical of the society from the time of the Napoleon War to the start of the modern times. You will see the artwork of major romantic landscape painters, artists looking for inspiration in history, as well as those who created the foundations of modern art, such as Eugène Delacroix, Paul Gauguin, Pablo Picasso or Josef Mánes. There will be paintings as well as sculptures in a broader context.
Thirty Years after the Velvet Revolution
This autumn, it will be 30 years since the revolution that marked the fall of the communist regime in Czechoslovakia. The
National Gallery will commemorate this important anniversary with several projects. One of the most significant ones is the photographic exhibition titled
Havel na Hrad! (Havel to the Castle) in the
Fair Trade Palace. It will start on
13 November 2019 and remain open until 16 February 2020. The photographs of anti-regime demonstrations will be accompanied with photographs also taken during 1989, but capturing the everyday life or reflecting social and political problems.
Saxony–Bohemia: As Near, As Far
From 24 May to 15 September, you will have the opportunity to see an extensive exhibition focusing on the relationship of two neighbouring historic countries,
Saxony and Bohemia, in the
Šternberský Palace near the
Prague Castle. The exhibition that will have nine separate sections focuses on the everyday life of a common person, as well as the historic events caused by the ruling elites, presenting in the symbiosis of art and history.
Many exhibits will be
displayed in the Czech Republic
for the very first time, such as valuable Gothic and Renaissance artworks, including paintings by Lucas Cranach, Mannerist paintings, high Baroque, as well as paintings by Oskar Kokoschka.
And More Exhibitions
In the
Fair Trade Palace, the first ever
retrospective of Swiss sculptor Albert Giacometti (19/07 – 01/12/2019) will be on display in the Czech Republic. In the
Kinský Palace at the
Old Town Square, you can visit the exhibition entitled
French Impressionism (28/06 – 20/10/2019), where you can see the works of Claude Monet, Edgard Degas, Pierre August Renoir or Alfred Sisley. There will also be a photographic exhibition on the fifth floor of the
Fair Trade Palace. The exhibition titled
400 ASA: Photographs (08/03 – 08/09/2019) will present the work of Alžběta Jungrová, Antonín Kratochvíl, Karel Cudlín or Tomki Němec. The admirers of
Josef Šíma can look forward to the exhibition
The Road to Le Grand Jeu (19/04 – 30/ 07/2019), which will move to the
Waldstein Riding School from Brno. The
Beautiful Madonna exhibition in the Gothic
Convent of St. Agnes will present the grace and beauty of Gothic statues of Madonna in the flowing gown with baby Jesus in her hands. The more than 500 years old elegance will be available to see from 22 November 2019 to 19 April 2020. Also, there will be a large-scale exhibition entitled the
Maharaja Treasure: Indian Art from Jodhpur will also take place in the
Waldstein Riding School from October 2019 to April 2020. The exhibits from museums and private collections include the almost 400-years-old artwork of one of the Indian states.
Free Admission
The admission to all the exhibitions, whether collection-based or short-term, in the
National Gallery are accessible for a fee, except for children and young people below 26 who have free admission to the collection expositions. However, there are some days or evenings during the year dedicated to attracting people to art who would not come otherwise, and on those days the admission is completely free, or there is a symbolic fee of 1 Czech crown. Every year
at the beginning of February (2-3 February),
the National Gallery celebrates the anniversary of its foundation, this year it is the 223
rd anniversary and the doors will be opened to everyone. It is also possible to visit the National Gallery for free during the year, such as
during the Prague Museum Night (8 June) or the
International Day of Museums and Galleries (18 May), and at various anniversaries (28 September, 17 November). We recommend checking the gallery’s website beforehand.
