Jan Merta and Petr Veselý Exhibition at Museum Kampa: Painting, Home, and Czech Art

This exhibition brings together the works of Jan Merta and Petr Veselý, two prominent artists from the 1980s generation. It focuses on their shared elementary approach to painting as a language for understanding the world, exploring the leitmotif of 'home' in its broadest sense, encompassing personal, cultural, and spiritual dimensions.

Jan Merta and Petr Veselý, born in 1952 and 1953 respectively, represent a significant generation of Czech artists who emerged in the 1980s. While Veselý, based in Brno, pursued a career in teaching and leaned towards maximal abstraction, Merta, who graduated later and became involved in gallery operations, is known for his varied colours and narrative elements. This joint exhibition is not about seeking external similarities but rather about highlighting the internal affinity of their works and their shared fundamental approach to painting as a unique language for knowledge and interpretation of the surrounding world. The selection of paintings is guided by the leitmotif of 'home,' understood broadly to include intimate family environments, cultural roots, personal ties, childhood memories, relationships, and transcendence. Home is presented as that which cannot be discarded, what remains, and to which one can always return. The curatorial intent behind exhibiting Merta's and Veselý's works side by side is to foster a dialogue that reinforces and complements their individual messages, allowing the viewing of one artist's work to enhance the understanding of the other's.

Please check the museum's official website for ticketing information and admission details, as specific exhibition ticketing is not detailed on this page beyond general museum entry context.