Prague
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Vase - A Symbol of Culture and Life: Exploring Enduring Cultural Forms and Artistic Interpretations

This exhibition traces the profound journey of the vase through human history, showcasing its utility and aesthetic value.

Delve into the 'Vase - A Symbol of Culture and Life' exhibition, exploring one of humanity's most ancient and versatile cultural forms. Witness the vase's fascinating evolution as a cultural model, adapting across diverse historical and artistic landscapes. This display highlights its dual role in practical function and profound symbolic meaning, bridging epochs and inspiring new artistic expressions.

About Vase - A Symbol of Culture and Life at House at the Black Madonna in Prague

Read curatorial context and practical visitor information for Vase - A Symbol of Culture and Life at House at the Black Madonna in Prague

Exhibition summary

This exhibition explores the vase as one of the oldest and most enduring material forms of human culture. It showcases the vase's evolution alongside changing contexts, its blend of practical function and aesthetic value, and its rich symbolic meanings across history and art.

Curatorial context

The vase, a seemingly ordinary yet poetically charming object, has served as a complex metaphor for human existence since prehistory. This exhibition delves into its significance as a universal cultural model that has maintained its identity while adapting through changing cultural, social, and artistic landscapes. Showcased in all its forms and symbolic dimensions, the vase's incredible variability and timeless constancy are highlighted, earning it a primary position among fundamental cultural motifs in art and design. From wine amphorae to floral vessels and funerary urns, the vase reflects humanity's relationship with the world, embodying the connection between the divine and the worldly, and bridging epochs and cultures with its enduring ability to inspire new interpretations and creative experiments.

Admission and ticket notes

Full admission is CZK 150, with a concession price of CZK 80. Visitors can purchase tickets online or at the museum. The exhibition is located in the main building of the Museum of Decorative Arts in Prague 1.

Vase - A Symbol of Culture and Life key exhibition facts

Review exhibition status, schedule, venue context, and attribution details for Vase - A Symbol of Culture and Life at House at the Black Madonna in Prague

Venue
House at the Black Madonna
Current status
Open now
Exhibition schedule
From Apr 30, 2026
Artist line / attribution
Exhibition concept: Jana Černovská, Radim Vondráček. Curator: Jana Černovská. Cooperation: Jan Mlčoch, Michal Stříbrný. Exhibition design: Hynek Fetterle. Graphic design: Petr Liška.
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