Databáze uměleckých výstav v českých zemích 1820 – 1950

At the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries, the so-called special exhibitions became an integral part of the exhibition program of Prague’s Krasoumná jednota (Fine Arts Association After moving to the new building of the Rudolfinum, these exhibitions gradually complemented the traditional annual exhibitions and gave the Prague public another opportunity to see the works of contemporary artists. These were usually exhibitions of one artist or a single work; from the 1890s onwards, the Rudolfinum also hosted exhibitions organized by various art associations (Verein deutscher bildender Künstler in Böhmen, the Karlsruhe Art Society, the Union of Fine Arts).  

As a break between the annual exhibitions, the Beautiful Prague exhibition was significant in two ways. It was the first exhibition to focus on a single theme (the appearance of various places in the Bohemian capital), and at the same time it featured mostly works by artists who were no longer alive. Several years later, Krasoumná jednota developed this line of programming and organized a large exhibition of works by Karel Škréta (1910), Petr Brandl (1911), artists from the circle of Rudolf II (1912), and a joint exhibition of works by Jan Kupecký and Václav Vavřinec Reiner (1913).

The critics (Hanuš Jelínek, F. X. Harlas, K. B. Mádl, August Ströbel, Renáta Tyršová) generally appreciated the unusual theme of the exhibition (or rather the breadth of its scope) and its treatment which allowed visitors to become familiar with the development of art in Bohemia. The press regularly informed the readers about the number of visitors to the exhibition, which amounted to 9123, making it the third best attended among Krasoumná jednota’s special exhibitions between 1886 and 1914. The press also welcomed the expansion of the activities of the Old Prague Club.

A less positive review appeared in the journal Naše doba, whose author argued that the exhibition was prepared too hastily and inconsistently.

The exhibition Beautiful Prague was accompanied by lectures. One of them was delivered on February 11, 1906 for the association Akademikové vinohradští (Vinohrady Academics) by one of the authors of the exhibition and the chairman of the exhibition committee, K. D. Mráz (Karel Domorázek).

Tomáš Sekyrka

Literature

Zdeněk Hojda, Die prager Kunstausstellungen 1886-1914. Ihr Publikum und Ihr Verkaufserfolg, in: Bildungsgeschichte, Bevölkerungsgeschichte, Gesellschaftsgeschichte in den böhmischen Ländern und in Europa, München 1988, pp. 251–273

Vít Vlnas, Obrazárna v Čechách 1796–1918, Praha 1996

Archival Sources

Archive of the National Gallery in Prague, fonds Společnost vlasteneckých přátel umění [Society of the Patriotic Friends of Fine Arts], acc. no. AA 1258; fonds Krasoumná jednota [Fine Arts Association], acc. no. AA 1404, AA 1260

Anonymous author, Das schöne Prag, Bohemia LXXIX, 1906, no. 31, 1. 2., p. 5

Anonymous author, Výstava Krásné Prahy, Český svět II, 1906, no. 8, 26. 2., p. 185

Anonymous author, Krásná Praha, Národní listy XXXXVI, 1906, no. 31, 1. 2., p. 3

Anonymous author, Výstava krásné Prahy, Národní listy XXXXVI, 1906, no. 32, 2. 2., p. 3

Anonymous author, Krásná Praha, Národní listy XXXXVI, 1906, no. 34, 4. 2., p. 3

Anonymous author, Výstava „Krásné Prahy“, Národní listy XXXXVI, 1906, no. 38, 8. 2., p. 3

Anonymous author, „Krásná Praha“, Národní listy XXXXVI, 1906, no. 40, 10. 2., p. 3

Anonymous author, Krásná Praha, Národní listy XXXXVI, 1906, no. 41, 11. 2., p. 3

Anonymous author, Výstava „Krásné Prahy“, Národní listy XXXXVI, 1906, no. 45, 15. 2., p. 4

Anonymous author, Krásná Praha, Národní listy XXXXVI, 1906, no. 48, 18. 2., p. 3

Anonymous author, Krásná Praha, Národní politika XXIV, 1906, no. 31, 1. 2., p. 6

Anonymous author, Kronika (Chvilky oddechu), Světozor VI, 1906, no. 21, 2. 2., p. 504

Anonymous author, Krásná Praha, Zlatá Praha XXIII, 1905–1906, no. 19, p. 228

Anonymous author, Výstava Krásné Prahy, Čas XX, 1906, no. 38, p. 6

Hanuš Jelínek, Krásná Praha, Lumír XXXIV 1905–1906, no. 3, 19. 1., p. 143