The End of the Black-and-White Era: Exploring 20th and 21st Century Art at National Gallery Prague

This exhibition explores the art of the years 1939-2021, moving beyond a simplistic black-and-white categorization to embrace multiple and parallel conceptions of artistic quality. It aims to demonstrate that art was shaped by social, political, and economic forces, not just isolated artistic merit.

The exhibition 'The End of the Black-and-White Era' delves into the art produced between 1939 and 2021, adopting a slogan that seeks to avoid premature ideological judgments of the material. Instead, it posits that art has always encompassed multiple, parallel conceptions of artistic quality. The exhibition challenges the notion of art being strictly defined by polarities such as official vs. unofficial, abstract vs. figurative, or formal vs. socially engaged, demonstrating that these concepts often co-existed and mutually influenced each other rather than existing as absolute extremes. Visitors can observe the rapid changes in the idea of quality over time, even for individual artists, through the chronological presentation. The permanent exhibition frames art as a testament to its times, a product of not only authorial intent but also significant social, political, and economic forces. Featuring over 300 works exclusively from the National Gallery Prague's (NGP) collection, it employs a methodology that prioritizes understanding the motivations and reasons behind artistic creation during the period, rather than solely selecting the 'best' art. This approach is further complemented by examples of exhibition strategies and acquisition narratives from the era.

This page does not contain specific ticketing information for the exhibition. Visitors are advised to check the official channels for admission details.