THE BEST PLACES TO SEE CONTEMPORARY ART IN PRAGUE PART 1
Prague. A city that brings to mind golden spires glinting in the setting sun, winding cobblestoned streets and the spectacular and imposing presence of the St. Vitus Cathedral looking over the city from its hilly perch. They are all here and they are just as magical as you imagined. But, the city is also packed with great contemporary art and it would be a shame not to see any while you are visiting. Let me show you where to go.
VELETRZNI PALAC
Designed by Czech architects Josef Fuchs and Oldřich Tyl and built in the 1920s, it was one of the largest functionalist buildings in the world at the time and was used to house major international trade fairs. The building almost met an untimely end in 1974 when it was severely damaged by a fire that took almost a week to extinguish. Fortunately, it was acquired by The Prague National Gallery that helped restore the building to its former glory and turned it into the permanent home of its modern and contemporary art collection with works ranging from the likes of Alfons Mucha, Claude Monet, Paul Cézanne and Paul Gauguin to Auguste Rodin, Pablo Picasso or Vincent Van Gogh. The gallery regularly shows great contemporary art exhibitions and art lovers have been able to see the works of artists as diverse as Annie Leibovitz, Gerhard Richter or Katharina Grosse. The current show is profiling the work of the surrealist artist Viktor Pivovarov. And architecture lovers will appreciate the stunning white functionalist interiors - those alone are worth a visit.
DOX CENTRE FOR CONTEMPORARY ARTS
DOX Centre for Contemporary Arts - Gulliver bllimp
Another simple and clean architectural gem born from a former factory conversion, the centre (named after a Greek word that means a point of view, or a persuasion) is a multifunctional space that focuses on contemporary art, architecture and design. Today, the building is instantly recognizable thanks to the 2016 addition of “Gulliver”, a blimp designed by architect Martin Rajniš. Gulliver serves as a lecture space and a lookout point for visitors. The centre puts on a number of rotating exhibitions every year, and has shown the works of Andy Warhol, Robert Mapplethorpe, Karel Nepraš, Czech comics, art brut and many others. The art at DOX always tells a story with a clear point of view - as you would expect given its name.
GALERIE PRAGOVKA
Those with an interest in conceptual art should head out to the emerging Pragovka Art District. The raw and industrial Pragovka Gallery (housed in a former and still to be renovated former truck factory) has an impressive and large space that focuses on emerging artists and artists-in-residence. For those who are familiar with New York, this is as close to Bushwick as you will get here in Prague. And it definitely has that cool, edgy vibe, complete with a hipster cafe on the premises.
GALERIE MESTSKA KNIHOVNA
A stone’s throw from the Old Town Square and hidden on the top floor of the neoclassicist building of Mestska Knihovna (The Municipal Library) the space itself is beautiful with simple clean interiors and large skylights. If you can, take the stairs to see the streamlined but striking Art Deco glasswork on the windows.
The art space is extensive and is part of the Prague Municipal Gallery complex. It presents short-term shows that focus on a range of contemporary and modern artists, both Czech and international. Currently, the gallery is showing the works of Jan Jedlička, a painter and photographer who has been creating works inspired by his Czech, Italian and Swiss surroundings. A good friend pointed me in this direction and I loved the paintings made from pigments collected by the artist on location and translated into abstract “portraits” of each place.
Intrigued? I am glad! Because there is more. Check back in for Part 2, coming soon.