Jaroslav Čermák: Myths of European Reality

Venue: GHMP Library, Mariánské náměstí 98/1, 110 00 Prague 1 – Old Town

The National Gallery Prague is participating in the exhibition Jaroslav Čermák: Myths of European Reality, held at the Prague City Gallery from November 4, 2026, to February 28, 2027. After almost a hundred years, the exhibition reintroduces the work of one of the most significant Czech painters of the 19th century and offers a new perspective on his oeuvre in an international context.

Jaroslav Čermák (1830–1878) was among the first Czech artists to achieve genuine international recognition. He studied in Prague, Antwerp, and Brussels, worked in Paris, and repeatedly traveled to the Balkans, where he found inspiration for his most famous works. In his art, he combined historical themes with questions of freedom, national identity, and cultural clashes that resonate even in today's world. At the same time, he addressed themes of Orientalism, the position of women, and relations between the West and Southeast Europe. An important part of his work also includes portraits, genre scenes, landscapes, and still lifes, which demonstrate his extraordinary thematic and artistic versatility.

The National Gallery Prague manages the most extensive collection of Čermák's works and is one of the project's main partners. It lends a significant portion of the exhibits to the exhibition, and its preparation involves an expert team of curators, restorers, specialists from the chemical-technological laboratory, and educators.

A comprehensive restoration and material survey of selected Čermák's works, carried out by the National Gallery Prague for the first time in the history of research on this artist, became an important part of the exhibition's preparations. The survey, accompanied by conservation interventions, brought new insights into the artist's creative processes, the materials used, and the state of preservation of the paintings. The results of this interdisciplinary collaboration contributed to a new understanding of Čermák's work and became one of the important starting points for the exhibition and the accompanying monograph. The project is complemented by a publication for young readers, Jaroslav Čermák: A Romantic Trip Across Europe by Monika Švec Sybolová, which will introduce Jaroslav Čermák's life and work to younger visitors.

Organizers: Prague City Gallery in cooperation with the National Gallery Prague

Author and Curatorial Team: Markéta Theinhardt, Vjera Borozan, Kristýna Hochmuth (NGP), Šárka Leubnerová, Vít Vlnas, Markéta Vondrová (NGP)

NGP Restoration Survey: Marie Radová, Václava Antušková, and Solomiia Stashkiv-Oliinyk