Databáze uměleckých výstav v českých zemích 1820 – 1950

The painter Petr Maixner died on October 22, 1884, and his funeral took place three days later in the Church of Our Lady of the Snows in Prague. In the following weeks, various periodicals published his obituaries – a text by K. B. Mádl appeared in Ruch on November 6, and an obituary by Jan Neruda was published in Osvěta a little later. At the end of the year, the Lehmann Salon hosted an exhibition of Maixner’s artistic estate, likely to raise finances for his family. The exhibition catalogue, if it existed, is missing, and we do not know the exact dates of the exhibition’s opening and closing. Based on the press reports, it was probably opened on December 18, 1884 [Anonymous author 1884] and ended in mid-February of the following year. The content and the scope of the show can be reconstructed from the reviews. The first review, written by Vilém Weitenweber, was published in Zlatá Praha on January 29, 1884, followed by a text by Agathon Klemt in Prager Tagblatt from January 27, 1885. On January 30, Světozor published a review by Renáta Tyršová and the fourth review, penned by Karel Chytil, was featured in the February issue of Květy. Short announcements of the exhibition continued to appear until about mid-February; Prager Tagblatt also published graphic advertisements.

The first art historical analyses of Maixner’s work were woven into his obituaries. Both Mádl and Neruda described Maixner as the most outstanding artistic personality of the older generation, appreciating his originality, natural expression and tendency towards “gracefulness.” [Mádl 1884] Both also considered the Arrival of John of Luxembourg and Peasants on the Run from the Thirty Years' War to be Maixner’s most important paintings. Neruda highlighted Maixner's extensive collection of historical and archaeological objects, part of which would later be purchased by the city of Prague and given to the Museum of Decorative Arts. [Anonymous author 1885a] The evaluations of the posthumous exhibition reflected its limited scope – the key works were missing or represented by preparatory cartoons (Peasants on the Run) and studies (for the paintings Šárka Outwits Ctirad, Abbot Božetěch Carries the Cross to Rome). The exhibition consisted of around 200 items – in addition to preparatory works of the historical genre, it also included studies and designs for religious and decorative works, such as sketches for the frescoes in the Chapel of St. Wenceslaus in the church in Prague-Karlín, sketches for the window of St. John of Nepomuk in the Cathedral of St. Vitus, studies for the painting of St. George in the church in Velvary, and cartoons for paintings decorating the crown jewel cabinet. There were also more private works, such as self-portraits and family portraits, the watercolour of Maixner's native house in Hořice, and a number of studies from his stay in Italy, including copies of works by old masters. In her review, Renáta Tyršová expressed surprise at his choice of Titian, Paris Bordone, and Paolo Veronese as models, since "these are copies of the masters of color". Here she alludes to Maixner's own moderate use of color. [Tyršová 1885]

The highlight of the exhibition, the 1880 painting Vlasta, was not only the largest canvas in the exhibition, but also the largest Maixner work ever. The critics did not see it as a "typical" example of Maixner's work, and it provoked contradictory reactions when it was first presented to the public. [Dlábková 2020] While Tyršová was rather diplomatic in her assessment, both Klemt and Neruda praised Vlasta, and Karel Chytil considered it one of Maixner's "most splendid works in terms of colour" [Chytil 1885]. The painting also attracted attention because a colour print reproduction of it was made by the workshop of Karel Maloch and sold for the benefit of the artist's family. The quality of the reproduction is mentioned in Tyršová's review, but also in most of the smaller articles, which otherwise hardly delt with the exhibition itself. [Anonymous author 1885b, c, d].

Despite the limited scope of the exhibition, all reviewers appreciated the quality of Maixner's work and its importance for the development of Czech art. The exhibition was also well received by the public and, according to reports, a number of works were sold as the prices were set low.

Markéta Vondrová

Works Cited

Anonymous author 1884: Anonymous author, Kunstnotiz, Prager Abendblatt 1884, 17. 12., p. 2

Anonymous author 1885a: Anonymous author, Sbor obecních starších, Národní listy XXV, 1885, 17. 3., p. 3

Anonymous author 1885b: Anonymous author, Kunstnotiz, Prager Tagblatt IX, 1885, 18. 1., p. 4

Anonymous author 1885c: Anonymous author, untitled, Pražský denník XX, 1885, no. 14 (18. 1.), p. 2

Anonymous author 1885d: Anonymous author, Umělecká zpráva, Čech XVII, 1885, no. 14 (19. 1.), p. 2

Dlábková 2020: Markéta Dlábková, Petr Maixner’s Vlasta – History painting between Generations / Vlasta Petra Maixnera – historická malba na hranici generací, Bulletin of the National Gallery in Prague XXX, 2020, pp. 22–31, 150–156.

Chytil 1885: Karel Chytil, Výtvarné umění, Květy VII, 1885, no. 2, pp. 243–245

Mádl 1884: K. B. M. [Karel Boromejský Mádl], Petr Maixner, Ruch VI, 1884, no. 31, pp. 506–507

Tyršová 1885: Renáta Tyršová, Výstava umělecké pozůstalosti Petra Maixnera, Světozor XIX, 1885, no. 7, pp. 107–109

Further Reading

 Jan Neruda, Petr Maixner, Osvěta 1884, no. 12, pp. 1137–1141

Anonymous author, Pohřeb Petra Maixnera, Národní listy XXIV, 1884, 26. 10., p. 3

Anonymous author, Výstava zůstavených děl Petra Maixnera, Světozor XIX, 1884/85, no. 2 (22. 12.), p. 31

Anonymous author, Umělecká zpráva, Národní listy XXV, 1885, 18. 1., p. 2

Anonymous author, Umělecká zpráva, Čech XVII, 1885, no. 14 (19. 1.), p. 2

Anonymous author, Umělecká zpráva, Čech XVII, 1885, no. 26 (3. 2.), p. 3

Anonymous author, Drobné zprávy, Slavín III, 1885, no. 2, p. 16

Anonymous author, bez názvu, Pražský denník XX, 1885, no. 14 (18. 1.), p. 2

Anonymous author, Kunstnotiz, Prager Tagblatt VIII, 1884, 28. 12., p. 3

Anonymous author, Kunstnotiz, Prager Abendblatt 1884, 17. 12., p. 2

Anonymous author, Kunstnotiz, Prager Abendblatt 1885, 17. 1., p. 2

Anonymous author, Kunstnotiz, Prager Tagblatt IX, 1885, 18. 1., p. 4