National Gallery. National Gallery in Prague House of the Black Madonna – Czech Cubist Museum
It was opened to visitors in 1965. It occupies restored premises in the northern wing of the New Royal Palace, where the court stables were previously located.
The creation of the Art Gallery owes much to the passion of the Holy Roman Emperor Rudolf II for collecting works of art. His interest in painting was formed under the influence of his closest relatives: his grandfather Ferdinand I, his father Maximilian II and his uncle, the Tyrolean Archduke Ferdinand II.
He hired professional agents and dealers who searched and acquired works of art throughout Europe, and made numerous orders abroad and to his court artists. For the rapidly growing collection, the Emperor commissioned the Italian architect D. Giardgioli to design a specially designed room.
Construction work began in 1585 and was completely completed by 1606. Along with paintings and graphics, the new halls housed an oriental collection, furniture and sculptures. The total number of works of art by Italian, Dutch and German masters was about 3,000 copies.
After the death of Rudolf II, the fate of the collection was tragic. His successor, Emperor Matthias, moved a significant part of the collection to Vienna. During the Thirty Years' War, part of the royal collection was appropriated by Maximilian of Bavaria, and the other part was captured by the Swedish army and sent to Stockholm.
The revival of the collection began in the second half of the 17th century. during the reign of Ferdinand III, who acquired the collections of Lord Buckingham and L. Ville. In the 18th century, many works of art left Prague Castle again: some of them were transferred to the Belvedere Palace in Vienna, while others were secretly sold to Dresden due to financial difficulties. But by the end of the century, Czech “patriotic friends of art” managed to achieve the return of some works of painting to Prague Castle on a lease basis.
The cultural losses of the gallery temporarily ceased only after the declaration of independence of the Czechoslovak Republic at the beginning of the 20th century. In 1930, new acquisitions of paintings by masters of the Czech Baroque and artists of the 19th-20th centuries were made at the expense of the Masaryk Foundation. In 1962, many valuable paintings again left Prague Castle: this time they joined the collection of the National Gallery. The final decision to create an independent art museum in Prague Castle was made only in 1965.
The modern exhibition of the oldest art gallery in the Czech Republic displays only 107 paintings and a few sculptures, selected from 4,000 works of art of Prague Castle. From the original collection, only a few works by masters of painting have survived. After the restoration of the hall according to the design of the architect B. Šipek, the paintings were placed in it according to the principle of art schools in different countries.
Visitors to the gallery have the opportunity, under its arches, to get acquainted with the history of painting, sculpture and the work of artists from the 14th century. At the beginning of the tour, they are greeted by a copy of the bust of the gallery’s founder, Rudolf II, by A. de Vries. In its halls are presented the paintings “The Dressing Room of a Young Lady” by Tiziano Vecellio, “The Centaur Nessus Abducts Deianira” by G. Reni, “The Assembly of the Olympian Gods” by P. Rubens, works by Theodoric of Prague, L. Cranach and P. Veronese. A significant place is occupied by the works of Czech Baroque artists J. Kupetsky, P. Brandl and some other masters.
The history of the National Gallery began its record in February 1796, when Prague was created Society of Patriotic Friends of Art. At its origins were the Kolovrats, Sternberks and Nostice as patriots from the ranks of the Czech nobility, as well as enlightened townspeople. This organization then established two important institutions: the Academy of Arts and the first public art gallery in Prague.
The National Gallery currently houses permanent exhibitions and organizes numerous exhibitions and cultural events.
Where are the main Prague exhibitions?
- IN Sternberg Palace on Hradcany located collection of European art from antiquity to baroque. It features works by Tintoretto, Ribera, El Greco, Rubens, Van Dyck and Rembrandt, as well as one of Albrecht Dürer's most famous paintings, Feast of the Rose Wreaths (Feast of the Rosary).
- IN monastery of St. Agnes of Bohemia V Old Town located exhibition of art of the Middle Ages and early Renaissance from the Czech Republic and Central Europe. In the authentic setting of the first Clara monastery in the Czech Republic, which was probably founded in 1231 by St. Agnes Bohemskaya, for example, unique panels from the workshop of Master Theodoric are presented, as well as the painting “Madonna and Child” by Lucas Cranach.
- At the Schwarzenberg Palace on Hradcanska Square presented baroque art, for example, paintings by Hans von Aachen, Karl Skreta, Petr Brandl and Jan Kupecki. Pay your attention to the graphic cabinet with a unique collection of works by Vaclav Gollar and exhibition of applied art of the Baroque era from the collection Museum of Decorative and Applied Arts.
- IN Exhibition Palace, in the first building in Prague built in the functionalist style, in 1928 the general public first saw "Slavic epic" Alphonse Mucha, which is still here today . Also presented here paintings, sculptures and applied art by Czech and foreign artists of the 20th and 21st centuries. You will discover works by the French Impressionists, Gustav Klimt, Oskar Kokoscht, Edvard Munch, Egon Schiele and Joan Miró.
- On Old Town Square in Kinsky Palace, in the most beautiful Rococo building in Prague, presented art of Asia and the ancient Mediterranean.
...and two exhibitions outside Prague
The National Gallery has also prepared two expositions outside Prague. IN castle in Zdiar nad Sazavou there is a collection of Baroque art, and in Frištát Castle presented in Karvina Czech art of the 19th century.
The National Gallery organizes temporary exhibitions not only as accompanying events to permanent exhibitions, but also as Wallenstein arena on Malaya Strana. The Manege is located in the park of the early Baroque palace, which was built for Albrecht of Wallenstein by Italian architects Andrea Spezza and Nicolo Sebregondi.
Many wonderful works of graphics and painting. Decorative and applied arts and sculpture are concentrated in numerous architectural monuments of the Czech capital, which are part of the National Gallery in Prague.
As part of the National Gallery:
A single ticket is valid for all objects:
- Standard - 300 CZK
- Preferential - 150 CZK
Formation and development of the gallery
The history of the country's largest collection of works of fine art goes back more than two centuries. It began on February 5, 1796, when a group of art lovers organized the Patriotic Society of Friends of Art, the purpose of which was to preserve ancient examples of paintings, graphics and sculpture and to select the best modern works of art.
One of the declared main goals of the Society was artistic and aesthetic education and familiarization with art to the widest possible segments of the population. For this purpose, the direct predecessor of the modern largest national collection was created - the Czech-Moravian County Gallery. Since 1918, it has become the country's main art museum.
In 1902, the society created a second gallery - Contemporary Art of the Czech Kingdom, which included the personal collection of artistic works of Emperor Franz Joseph I. In 1942, the collections of these two galleries were combined into one. After the addition of the graphic collections of the National Museum and the University Library to it, the modern National Gallery was created by law in 1949.
Gallery exhibition structure
The extensive collection of paintings, drawings and sculpture is now housed in ten buildings located in Prague and beyond. In the halls of each branch, collections of works of art are exhibited, united by geography, genre, chronological or style and author.
The former complex exhibits medieval art from Central Europe and Bohemia. Interior of the monastery of the Clarices of the 14th century. fits perfectly with the exhibition unfolding here. Among the many interesting exhibits here are the Trebon and Vyšebrod altars, and works by Theodoric. A. Altdorfer, L. Cranach the Elder.
In Hradčany, the museum collection includes works of art from Antiquity to the heyday of the Baroque period. On the ground floor are exhibited paintings by Tuscan masters (B. Daddi, L. Monaco), the Venetian school (B. Vivarini), masterpieces of Mannerism (A. Aliori, A. Bronzino). A collection of icons from Eastern European countries is also displayed here. Paintings by El Greco, Goya, Rubens, and other 16th-18th-century painters are exhibited on the second floor.
The (Little Schwarzenberg) exhibits the art of the Czech Republic, Austria and Germany from the period of classicism and romanticism of the 19th century. Among the exhibits are sculptures and paintings by A. Masek, J. Navratil, K. D. Friedrich, K. Rottmann and other masters.
The main Renaissance building houses the permanent exhibition “Baroque in the Czech Republic”. Its halls display engravings and paintings by B. Spranger, P. Brundle, J. Merchant, sculpture by B. Brown and F. M. Brokoff. In the basement of the building there is an exhibition dedicated to decorative and applied arts, as well as a collection of weapons.
Since 2010, it has housed more than 13.5 thousand exhibits that make up the collection of art of the peoples of the East. Islamic ceramics and metal, Japanese prints and books, Chinese archaic art, Tibetan Buddhist statues - these and many other valuable exhibits form the core of the collection. The second floor of the palace displays ancient art from Mesopotamia, Egypt, Nubia, Assyria and many other countries and regions.
The building of the former stables of the Kinsky Palace houses an extensive collection of engravings and drawings. The collection stock consists of more than 320 thousand copies of artistic works of European peoples of the Middle Ages to the present day.
Contemporary art of the XX-XXI centuries. exhibited at the Exhibition Palace on Dukelje Heroes Street. About 2,000 works of art are displayed on an area of 13,500 m2. Among them are paintings by P. Picasso, O. Renoir, J. Braque, N. Klimt and many other masterpieces.
The Gallery uses space to organize temporary exhibitions. Two of its buildings are located outside of Prague. The first is the Lottihaus on Masaryk Square in Karvina Frištát. There is a small exhibition of 50 paintings and sculptures dedicated to Czech art of the early 19th century. Zdiar Castle nad Sazavou houses a collection of Baroque art within its walls.
The National Gallery's many and varied educational programs help adults and children better understand and appreciate the enduring value of the world's fine arts.
During the years of Nazi occupation, the gallery officially became known as the “Gallery of the Czech-Moravian Land”. In 1949, the modern National Gallery was officially created by law #148/1949.
In 1995, the newly renovated Exhibition Palace building was transferred to the National Gallery. It houses a collection of contemporary art. We'll start with the Exhibition Palace.
Exhibition Palace
Subjects: International art of the 19th, 20th and 21st centuries.
How to get there: By metro to Vltavska station (Vltavska) on line C (red). For a map of the Prague metro, see our article “”.
After exiting the metro, turn right and walk along the park. At the next intersection turn left onto Hermanovo Street, follow this street for 300 meters to the Exhibition Palace building. See the photo of the building in the first photo in this article, the interior in the second photo, click on the photo to enlarge.
: Unfortunately, there is nothing important nearby, except for the Parkhotel Praha, a popular tourist hotel.
The Exhibition Palace displays works by German and Austrian modernists: Gustav Klimt, Egon Schiele, Oskar Kokoschka, Emil Orlik; Norwegian master Edvard Munch; Russian masters Aristarkh Lentulov and Robert Falk; Spaniards Joan Miró, Anthony Tapies, Anthony Clavet.
The National Gallery is especially proud of contemporary French painting; the collection was expanded through the efforts of Vinzenz Kramar and President Tomas Masaryk. The French collection contains paintings by the famous: Auguste Rodin, Eugene Delacroix, Jean Camille Corot, Camille Pissarro, Pierre Auguste Renoir, Paul Cezanne, Paul Gauguin, Vincent Van Gogh, Georges Seurat.
Also in the Exhibition Hall are works by famous cubists: Pablo Picasso, Georges Braque, Marc Chagall, Pierre Bonnard, Maurice de Vlaminck.
And, of course, works by the most famous Czechs: Alfons Mucha, Josef Vaclav Myslbek, Vojtěch Ginais, Maximillian Pirner, Frantisek Bilek.
In total, more than 2,000 works are presented in the Exhibition Hall. There is a separate exhibition of 21st century art.
The most interesting works: “Innocence” by Gustav Klimt, “Lovers” by Pierre Auguste Renoir, “Apple Trees” by Claude Monet. A particularly striking impression is made by Alphonse Mucha’s painting “The Slavic Epic,” assembled from 20 parts. See it in the photo above, click on the photo to enlarge.
Subjects: Art of Asia.
How to get there: By metro to Staromestska station, line A (green).
After exiting the metro, walk along Kaprova Street 250 meters in the direction opposite to car traffic. You will arrive at Old Town Square. The Kinski Palace is located to the left of the Tyn Church. Photo of the palace on the right, click to enlarge.
What attractions are nearby: Here on the Old Town Square there are also. If you follow the traffic from the Staromestska metro station and turn left at the first intersection, then after 300 meters you will come to.
The exhibition includes more than 13,000 works of art from China, Japan, Tibet, Korea and other countries of Southeast Asia, the Middle East and Africa.
Here you can see Chinese and Japanese ceramics, netsuke figurines, Tibetan tanka paintings, masks and sculptures, archaic art and much more.
This exhibition of the National Gallery is very similar to the Museum of Oriental Art in Moscow both in the size of the exhibition, and in composition, and in the style of the building and halls.
Subjects: Art in Bohemia from the Rudolf era to the Baroque.
How to get there: Located directly in front of the western gate of Prague Castle (Giant's Gate). Read more about the route here in our article “”.
What attractions are nearby: Prague Castle, .
The Schwarzenberg Palace houses 160 sculptures and 280 late Renaissance and Baroque paintings painted in Bohemia from the late 16th to the late 18th centuries.
Among others, we highlight the works of the Czechs Karel Skret and Petr Brandl, the Germans Hans von Aachen and Bartholomew Spranger.
Subjects: European art from antiquity to baroque.
How to get there: Located 50 meters north of the Schwarzenberg Palace. In front of the western gate (Giant's Gate) of Prague Castle. Read more about the route in our article “”.
What attractions are nearby: Prague Castle, .
The halls of the first floor of the Schwarzenberg Palace are dedicated to the collection of paintings from the 14th to 16th centuries from Konopiste Castle, which belonged to Archduke Franz Ferdinand. Here you can see paintings and icons by Tuscan artists Bernardo Daddi and Lorenzo Monaco; Venetians and Florentines Agnolo Bronzino and Alessandro Allori.
On the second floor, works by masters from the 16th to 18th centuries are exhibited. Here you will find works by Tintoretto, Jose de Ribera, Giovanni Tiepoloba, El Greco, Francisco Goya, Rubens, Anthony Van Dyck. Dutch painting is represented by Rembrandt, Frans Hals, Gerard Terborch, Salomon van Ruisdael, Jan van Goyen.
The office of Joseph Hoser, a famous collector and philanthropist who did a lot for the National Gallery, is open to visitors.
Anege Monastery (Convent of St. Agnes of Bohemia)
Subjects: Medieval art of Bohemia and Central Europe from 1200 to 1550.
How to get there: Take the Prague metro to Namesti Republiky station.
Next, we strongly recommend taking a taxi so as not to get lost in Prague’s many narrow streets. Tell the taxi driver the phrase “Anezka Czech Cluster”, he will understand the destination. The trip will cost about 50 Czech crowns. Read more in our article “”.
What attractions are nearby: There is nothing attractive for tourists nearby. Take a taxi and go to Old Town Square to see the Astronomical Clock, Tyn Church and other National Gallery exhibitions.
The exhibition on the ground floor shows the development of art in the Czech Republic, starting with icon painting and sculptures of the early 14th century. Icons, paintings, panels, and wood carvings are exhibited here. For many paintings, the author remains unknown; on the explanatory plate you can only see the approximate time and city of origin.
Don't try to see all the National Gallery exhibitions in one day or even two days. You will spend a lot of extra time on transport. Try to visit exhibitions together with other Prague attractions;
You can take photographs in the halls, but without flash;
Enjoy viewing the masterpieces in the National Gallery, and read our interesting articles about the Czech Republic ( links below).
Hello friends. The National Gallery in Prague (Národní galerie v Praze) contains magnificent examples of art from different countries from the late 19th century to the present day. This is one of the largest and most complete museums in Europe. The collections are divided by theme and are located in 6 different buildings in the city. Tourists often forget this fact and get confused. Today we will talk about what buildings the National Gallery consists of, where they are located and what can be seen in their collections.
Administrative district Prague 1, 7. Historical districts , , .
The buildings of the National Gallery in Prague are geographically located in different parts of the city, but not far from each other.
The gallery itself was created as an educational center. The history of its origin differs from museums in other countries and is closely connected with the history of the Czech Republic and the formation of national identity.
The original idea and mission is to uplift the spirit of the nation through exposure to art.
Today, the gallery positions itself as a research organization whose main task is to conduct fundamental and applied scientific research and development, disseminate their results and educate.
The National Gallery in Prague is one of the largest museum collections in Europe.
Historical reference
Since the 11th century, the Czech Republic has been part of the Holy Roman Empire of the German nation, a multinational state founded in 962 by the king of the East Franks, Otto I.
From the middle of the 15th century, the imperial throne was occupied by representatives of the Habsburg dynasty, who consistently pursued a policy of German colonization of Czech lands and support of Catholicism against the popular Reformation.
At the end of the 18th century, the Czech Renaissance movement began. “Awakeners” (i.e., educators) spoke out in defense of the Czech language and tried to revive the national identity of the Czechs through science, literature, and theater.
The date of birth of the gallery is considered to be February 5, 1796. On this day, Count Franz Joseph Sternberg and a group of prominent representatives of the local aristocracy and bourgeoisie created the Society of Patriotic Friends of Art.
“The Society established two important cultural objects in Prague: the Academy of Arts and the Picture Gallery, which is the forerunner of the current National Gallery.”
In 1902, the collection of the Gallery of Modern Art of the Kingdom of Bohemia (the private collection of Emperor Franz Joseph I of Habsburg, founded in 1901) was added to the Society's museum collection.
In 1918, the Society's Picture Gallery became the main art collection of the new state of Czechoslovakia.
Under the leadership of collector and art critic Vincenz Kramar, the gallery developed dynamically until the outbreak of World War II.
During the period of fascist occupation, the museum's funds were transferred to the new National Gallery of the Czech Republic-Moravia.
The Law of 1949 established the National Gallery of Prague in its current form.
6 gallery buildings
The permanent exhibition of the museum occupies 6 buildings, each of which can be called a landmark of the capital.
In addition, temporary exhibitions are held:
- In the Wallenstein Manege
- Old Town Manege
European art from antiquity to the Baroque era is represented.
The palace began to be built by Count Vaclav Sternberg around 1697 according to the design of Dominico Martinelli. In 1811, the Society of Patriotic Friends of Art acquired the palace from Leopold Sternberg, after which the building underwent reconstruction necessary to turn it into a museum.
The Society's collections were opened to the public in 1814.
In the period after 1946 and in 2002 - 2003, the building was also significantly reconstructed.
The exhibition includes a collection of works from the 14th to 16th centuries from the castle that belonged to Archduke Franz Fridinand, who was killed in Sarajevo in 1914: old Tuscan masters (Lorenzo Monaco and others), the Venetian school, masterpieces of Florentine mannerism.
An entire floor is occupied by works by Italian, Spanish, French, and Dutch masters of the 16th - 18th centuries: Paulo Veronese, Elgreco, Francisco Goya, Peter Paul Rubens, Anthony Van Dyck, Rembrandt, Frans Hals.
The exhibition of German and Austrian art of the 16th – 18th centuries includes the gallery’s masterpiece “The Feast of the Rosary” by Albrecht Dürer. The painting was painted in Venice in 1506, and was later acquired and transported to Prague by Emperor Rudolf II.
Monastery of St. Agnes of Bohemia
The Monastery of St. Agnes of Bohemia exhibits examples of medieval art from Bohemia and Central Europe: the work of the master Theodoric, master of the Třeboň Altar.
The exhibition is located in the original interiors of the first monastery of the Claritian Order in Bohemia, founded in 1231 by St. Agnieszka of Bohemia, daughter of King Přemysl Ottokar I.
Salmovsky Palace or Little Schwarzenberg
The task in the neoclassical style appeared on the site where several aristocratic mansions stood and belonged to the Prague Archbishop V. Florentan, prince of the ancient German family of Sal-Salma. The palace was named after him.
Construction lasted from 1800 to 1811, after which the palace was bought by Joseph Schwarzenberg and annexed it to his palace house.
After World War II, the building went to the state. It gradually deteriorated until in 2004 it was given to the Prague National Gallery. In 2011, the reconstruction of the building was completed.
The Salmovski Palace and the Schwarzenberg Palace today stand close to each other.
In the Salmovsky Palace, works of art of the 19th century are represented by the most significant works of painting and sculpture from the era of classicism to romanticism.
Schwarzenberg Palace
Designated for Baroque painting of the 17th - 18th centuries, as well as works by court mannerists from the reign of Emperor Rudolf II (1575 - 1611): Hans von Aachen, Bartholomeus Spranger, Roelant Saverey and others.
Palace of Exhibitions (Palace of Fairs or Veletřini Palace)
- the largest of the museum’s buildings, it exhibits masterpieces of world art from the 19th century to the present day.
