By showing the works of Antonín Chittussi, who died in 1891, the Krasoumná Jednota (Fine Arts Association) followed up on the exhibition of Chittussi’s painting entitled A View of Prague (organized in 1889) and on several previous solo exhibitions of important contemporary artists (e.g., Karel and Adolf Liebscher in 1885, Carl Spitzweg in 1887, Jaroslav Čermák in 1891). According to press reports, the exhibition was organized by the painters Václav Sochor and Viktor Oliva, and the journalist Emil Bretter (Lumír magazine), who collected Chittussi’s works from his studio in Paris and from private collections in Bohemia. The exhibition must have been very popular with the public because new works were lent and added throughout its duration. The press covered the exhibition of Chittussi’s works from the very first day (it reported that the wife of Prague’s mayor, Ludovika Šolcová, was present at the opening) and reported enthusiastically on the large number of visitors and the number of works sold (Čas, Národní listy, Politik, and others). Czech-language newspapers expressed the hope that as many of Chittussi’s works as possible would be bought by Czech collectors, so that these examples of his mastery would be preserved in the painter’s homeland. As can be seen from the lists of buyers published in the press, this hope was largely fulfilled.
A visit to the Chittussi exhibition became a social obligation; prominent visitors included the Prague Archbishop Cardinal Schönborn and Countess Kaunitz, some periodical mentioned the visit of the Berlin art dealer Fritz Gurlitt (Národní listy, Politik). Several times a week, newspapers published reports on the number of visitors and sales from the exhibition: “[The exhibition of Antonín Chittussi] is the event of the day. It is being discussed even in circles where news of an art exhibition hardly ever reaches, the attendance is lively and will apparently be even greater, and what is already a rare phenomenon in this country, the market for the exhibited works also looks very promising." [anonymous author 1892] As early as January 15, 1892, the press announced that the exhibition catalogue had sold out and that a second edition would be produced. Unfortunately, it has not been possible to find any information about the number of copies printed.
The reviews and shorter reports on the exhibition praised both Chittussi’s art and the efforts of the organizers. However, apart from descriptions of individual paintings, the reviews did not provide a comprehensive view of the painter’s work. For example, on January 17, 1892, Národní listy and Politik published a story of the painting Snowy Jihlava, which Chittussi created during his stay in Jihlava. The painter did not have his painting supplies with him, and he had to procure everything on the spot. As he could not get a canvas, he used a sheet of iron for the painting.
On the pages of Osvěta, Renáta Tyršová, like other critics, noted the considerable success of the show, especially in comparison with the posthumous exhibitions of Jaroslav Čermák and Josef Mánes. While others believed Chittusi’s show was so successful because of the Retrospective Exhibition of Domestic Art, organized as part of the Provincial Jubilee Exhibition of 1891, Tyršová emphasized the contribution of the press, which thoroughly covered the exhibition all throughout its duration. Tyršová also appreciated that the exhibition offered the opportunity to follow Chittussi’s entire artistic development, although works from the last five or so years prevailed there. Even on the last day of the exhibition, the press (Národní listy) encouraged visitors to visit the exhibition and announced that unsold paintings would be taken to the Gurlitt art shop in Berlin and exhibited there. The net profit from the Chittussi exhibition (618 guldens and 67 kreutzers) was given by the Krasoumná jednota to the association supporting of the students of the Prague Academy of Fine Arts.
According to official figures, the total number of visitors to the exhibition reached 5,481, and the sales were an extraordinary success – the vast majority of the exhibited works found a new owner: 131 in total, with the sales amounting to 10,125 guldens (20,250 crowns)!
The success of the exhibition was promptly supported and exploited by the publisher Jan Otto, who published the Chittussi Album with 27 reproductions.
Tomáš Sekyrka
Anonymous author 1892: Anonymous author, Výstava Antonína Chittussiho, Národní listy XXXII, 1892, no. 9, 9. 1. p. 3
Roman Prahl, Antonín Chittussi, Praha 1996
Roman Prahl, Chittussi, Praha 2020
Archive of the National Gallery in Prague, fonds Krasoumná jednota [Fine Arts Association], acc. no. AA 1260; fonds Společnost vlasteneckých přátel umění [Society of Patriotic Friends of Fine Arts], acc. no. AA 1258
Anonymous author, Chittussiho výstava, Čas VI, 1892, no. 9, 27. 2., p. 133
Anonymous author [Josef Václav Sládek], V Rudolfinu otevřena výstava obrazův Antonína Chittussiho, LumírXX, 1892, no. 2, 10. 1., p. 23
Anonymous author [Josef Václav Sládek], Chittussiho Praha, Lumír XX, 1892, no. 4, 1. 2., p. 48
Anonymous author, Výstava Chittussiho, Národní listy XXXII, 1892, no. 6, 6. 1., p. 3
Anonymous author, Výstava Chittussiho, Národní listy XXXII, 1892, no. 8, 8. 1., p. 3
Anonymous author, Výstavě uměleckých děl A. Chittussiho, Národní listy XXXII, 1892, no. 10, 10. 1., p. 3
Anonymous author, Výstava Chittussiho, Národní listy XXXII, 1892, no. 11, 11. 1., p. 2
Anonymous author, První velkolepý úspěch Chittussiho výstavy, Národní listy XXXII, 1892, no. 12, 12. 1., p. 3
Anonymous author, Chittussiho výstava, Národní listy XXXII, 1892, no. 13, 13. 1., p. 4
Anonymous author, Chittussiho výstava, Národní listy XXXII, 1892, no. 14, 14. 1., p. 4
Anonymous author, Chittussiho výstava, Národní listy XXXII, 1892, no. 15, 15. 1., p. 4
Anonymous author, Chittussiho výstava, Národní listy XXXII, 1892, no. 17, 17. 1., p. 4
Anonymous author, Z výstavy Chittussiho, Národní listy XXXII, 1892, no. 18, 18. 1., p. 2
Anonymous author, Chittussiho výstava, Národní listy XXXII, 1892, no. 22, 22. 1., p. 3
Anonymous author, Chittussiho výstava, Národní listy XXXII, 1892, no. 24, 24. 1., p. 3, 5
Anonymous author, Chittussiho výstava, Národní listy XXXII, 1892, no. 25, 25. 1., p. 2
Anonymous author, Chittussiho výstava, Národní listy XXXII, 1892, no. 26, 26. 1., p. 4
Anonymous author, Chittussiho výstava, Národní listy XXXII, 1892, no. 31, 31. 1., p. 3
Anonymous author, Chittussiho výstava, Národní listy XXXII, 1892, no. 33, 2. 2., p. 2
Anonymous author, Chittussiho výstava, Národní listy XXXII, 1892, no. 35, 4. 2., p. 3
Anonymous author, Chittussiho výstava, Národní listy XXXII, 1892, no. 39, 8. 1., p. 3
Anonymous author, Chittussiho výstava, Národní listy XXXII, 1892, no. 45, 14. 1., p. 4
Anonymous author, Zakončení výstavy Chittussiho, Národní listy XXXII, 1892, no. 49, 18. 2., p. 3
Anonymous author, Poslední den Chittussiho výstavy, Národní listy XXXII, 1892, no. 52, 21. 2., p. 5
Anonymous author [beta], Feuilleton, Národní listy XXXII, 1892, no. 56, 25. 2., p. 1
Anonymous author, Chittussi Ausstellung, Politik XXXI, 1892, no. 6, 6. 1., p. 4
Anonymous author [beta], Eröffnung der Chittussi Ausstellung, Politik XXXI, 1892, no. 7, 7. 1., p. 5
Anonymous author, Chittussi Ausstellung, Politik XXXI, 1892, no. 8, 8. 1., p. 4
Anonymous author, Chittussi Ausstellung, Politik XXXI, 1892, no. 10, 10. 1., p. 5
Anonymous author, Chittussi Ausstellung, Politik XXXI, 1892, no. 11, 11. 1., p. 2
Anonymous author, Der erste große Tag der Chittussi-Ausstellung, Politik XXXI, 1892, no. 12, 12. 1., p. 4
Anonymous author, Chittussi Ausstellung, Politik XXXI, 1892, no. 13, 13. 1., p. 3
Anonymous author, Chittussi Ausstellung, Politik XXXI, 1892, no. 14, 14. 1., p. 5
Anonymous author, Chittussi Ausstellung, Politik XXXI, 1892, no. 15, 15. 1., p. 3
Anonymous author, Chittussi Ausstellung, Politik XXXI, 1892, no. 17, 17. 1., p. 4
Anonymous author, Chittussi Ausstellung, Politik XXXI, 1892, no. 20, 20. 1., p. 3
Anonymous author, Chittussi Ausstellung, Politik XXXI, 1892, no. 22, 22. 1., p. 3
Anonymous author, Feuilleton, Politik XXXI, 1892, no. 24, 24. 1., p. 1–2
Anonymous author, Chittussi Ausstellung, Politik XXXI, 1892, no. 24, 24. 1., p. 5
Anonymous author, Průběh výstavy umělecké pozůstalosti Antonína Chittussiho, Zlatá Praha, IX, 1891-1892, no. 10, 22. 1., p. 120
Anonymous author, Poněvadž návštěva výstavy umělecké pozůstalosti Antonína Chittussiho, Zlatá Praha, IX, 1891–1892, no. 11, 29. 1., p. 132
Anonymous author, Z výstavy umělecké pozůstalosti Antonína Chittussiho, Zlatá Praha, IX, 1891–1892, no. 13, 12. 2., p. 148 (fig.), 152 (fig.), 154, 156
Anonymous author, Také minulý týden, Zlatá Praha, IX, 1891–1892, no. 14, 19. 2., p. 164 (fig.), p. 168
Anonymous author, Výstava umělecké pozůstalosti Antonína Chittussi, Zlatá Praha, IX, 1891–1892, no. 15, 26. 2., p. 180
Vilém Weitenweber, Podobizna Antonína Chittussiho a Chittussiho „Paříž“, Zlatá Praha, IX, 1891–1892, no. 8, 8. 1., p. 85 (fig.), p. 93 (fig.), p. 94
Vilém Weitenweber, Výstava obrazův Antonína Chittussiho, Zlatá Praha, IX, 1891-1892, no. 8, 8. 1., p. 96