Jiří Kolář│Grimace of the Century

The exhibition at the National Gallery in Prague concentrates on a selection of Kolář artworks connected with his poetry; this illuminates the unorthodox way in which Jiří Kolář formulated his commentary on the world. His Diary 1968 is a major part of the display – a series of 66 collages covering the dramatic events of that year.

In 2000, the National Gallery in Prague held a large retrospective of the work of Jiří Kolář. His work was presented again in the Trade Fair Palace a few years ago at the exhibition Correspondage, which focused on his inspiring correspondence with the young French journalism student Beatrice Bizot in the 1980s. However, we must return again and again to prominent figures such as Jiří Kolář to find new ways of looking at their work and seeing their versatile oeuvres from different angles.

At the exhibition in Kinský Palace is also on display groups of often unknown artworks, showing the artistically open way Kolář created the “Orbis Pictus” of our time from the second half of the 1940s to the end of his life. The selected works include items from the National Gallery, Kampa Museum, Jiří Kolář Estate, Neues Museum Nurnberg and other private collections.

Curators: Marie Klimešová, Milena Kalinovská