Seven Decades / Karlovy Vary Art Gallery (1953–2023)

A new permanent exhibition prepared as part of the 70th anniversary of the founding of the Karlovy Vary Art Gallery presents rich collections of 20th-century Czech art and features works by classics of Czech modern art as well as contemporary artists – e.g., A. Slavíček, J. Preisler, J. Trampota, J. Zrzavý, J. Čapek, E. Filla, J. Šíma, M. Medek, V. Boštík, K. Nepraš, M. Rittstein, Z. Sýkora, K. Malich, F. Skála, J. Róna, and others. The exhibition project was supported by the Karlovarský kraj. The Karlovy Vary Art Gallery celebrates its seventieth anniversary this year. It was established on January 1, 1953, by the Regional National Committee in Karlovy Vary, and began its own activities on April 5, 1953, with the exhibition Drawings and Graphics by Maxmilián Švabinský. On November 22, 1953, the first permanent exhibition of Czech fine art, then still from the collections of the National Gallery in Prague, was opened on its premises. At that time, it was one of eight existing galleries of its kind in Bohemia and Moravia. The Karlovy Vary Art Gallery is the oldest and largest art museum in the Karlovy Vary region; so far, nearly seven hundred exhibitions have taken place in the main building alone, attracting more than two million visitors. The gallery's activities have undergone a remarkable journey over 70 years, its direction largely influenced by the political and cultural history of our country. The ideologically constrained fifties, the more relaxed sixties, two decades of normalization grayness – exhibition plans often featured ideologically motivated titles, only occasionally interspersed with interesting exhibitions by genuine (not regime-aligned) personalities of Czech fine art. A fundamental turning point occurred only after November 1989, when the gallery could finally freely prepare very attractive exhibition projects of hitherto forbidden artists. In the last two decades, when the gallery has been administered by the Karlovarský kraj, economic conditions have improved, visitor numbers have increased, the institution has opened up to new educational activities and cross-border cooperation, publishing activities have expanded, and promotion has improved. As part of the anniversary, a new permanent exhibition is prepared, presenting rich collections of Czech art from the 20th and 21st centuries and featuring works by classics of Czech modern art and contemporary artists (e.g., A. Slavíček, J. Preisler, J. Zrzavý, J. Čapek, E. Filla, J. Šíma, M. Medek, V. Boštík, K. Nepraš, M. Rittstein, Z. Sýkora, K. Malich, F. Skála, J. Róna). The festive opening will take place on Thursday, November 23, 2023, at 5 p.m. The culmination of the celebrations will be an extraordinary concert by one of our leading cellists, Jiří Bárta, and pianist Terezie Fialová, with works by 20th-century composers starting at 7 p.m. instalace: vernisáž: články:

• https://zak.tv/sedm-dekad-galerie-umeni-karlovy-vary
• https://www.idnes.cz/karlovy-vary/zpravy/kultura-umeni-vytvarne-galerie-vyroci-oslava.A231123_761571_vary-zpravy_melu?fbclid=IwAR35i2DV59KQdNcWRz2G0y90FfmSMYrNF-p9TaIyYy6dLQglg3KXsPiROnw