The exhibition is held by the National Gallery in Prague – Collection of Modern and Contemporary Art, Veletržní Palace, East Wing of the 1st floor
Dukelských hrdinů 47, 170 00 Praha 7

Concept: Milan Knížák

Exhibition Curators: Tomáš Vlček, Blaguna Paskaleva

Architectural Layout: Milan Knížák

Graphic Layout of the Exhibition: Juraj Horváth
                
Main Partner of NG: HVB bank
Main Media Partner: Hospodářské noviny
Media Partners: Art&Antique, Classic FM, Czech Radio 3 - Vltava, Radio 1

This retrospective, held to mark the occasion of Pavel Brázda’s eightieth birthday, presents a selection of Brázda’s work as a painter accentuating his unyielding moral as well as aesthetic profile. At a time of a deep crisis of values under totalitarian rule, Brázda could come up with no mode of creative activity which the reigning culture could accept. He would not conform to its conventions, neither at the School of Architecture, Art and Design or at the Academy of Fine Arts. He was expelled from both places of instruction. His work took shape at a distance from all those forms of art which disguised the inhuman regime by creating illusions of a better society. He focused instead on motifs which brought out the real features of contemporary society. He devised ways in which to render the contradictions of his subtle social sensitivity and his artistic vision, portraying them in sharp contour and contrasting fields of color. He strove for an art addressed to a modern day viewer and member of civic society, an art he called hominism. In his work, which was allowed to evolve only outside of both the official and semi-official culture, he discovered new ways of creative thinking and visual expression. He anticipated elements and motifs of both Magical Realism and Pop Art, as well as motifs of serial structures of the industrial environment. His efforts to employ raw material, remote from aesthetizing conventions contributed in the Czech context to the assertion of the authentic values of l’art informel. His work is varied and polymorphous, and sharply defined in its social and political attitudes, novel particularly for an ability to incorporate in a work of art a sense of freedom against all odds.

ACCOMPANYING PROGRAMS

Information and reservations: Lecture Department, Collection of Modern and Contemporary Art, National Gallery in Prague, phone: 224 301 003, vzdelavani@ngprague.cz.

PROGRAMS FOR THE PUBLIC
Guided Tour with Commentary by the Artist
A uniaque opportunity to be taken through the exhibition by the artist, Pavel Brázda.
Duration: 60 min. / Entrance including commentary free of charge / Meeting point: at the box office, Veletržní Palace
Wednesday October 4, 4 pm

Guided Tours
Introduction to the work of Pavel Brázda
Duration: 60 min. / Price: see below / Meeting point: at the box office, Veletržní Palace
September 17, Sunday, 4 pm (free of charge with a valid ticket)
October 10, Sunday, 3 pm (20 CZK in addition to valid ticket)
November 1, Wednesday, 3 and 6 pm (both guided tour and entrance free of charge)
November 12, Sunday, 3 pm (20 CZK in addition to valid ticket)

Guided Tours by Appointment
You can also order guided tours of the exhibition – visit us with your friends, your club or your guests from abroad. We offer guided tours in English, German, and French as well as Czech.
Basic Price: 200 Kč per 1 hour per group / Reservations: two weeks in advance

OFFER FOR SCHOOLS
Guided Tour for Teachers
A scholarly guided tour for teachers of all types of schools, introducing the work of Pavel Brázda – an inspiring tour to take your class to.

Duration: 60 min. / Entrance as well as guided tour free of charge / Meeting point: at the box office, Veletržní Palace / Reservations: recommended
September 20, Wednesday, 4 pm – exhibition tour and presentation of educational programs on offer

Study materials for teachers
If you are considering visiting the exhibition with your class, you may use our Study Materials while preparing. They provide an introduction to the artist’s work, as well as offering activities which may be carried out directly at the exhibition, or after the visit in your classroom.
Study materials can be found free of charge at www.ngprague.cz, or at vzdelavani@ngprague.cz (from September 2006).

Guided tours for schools
Order a guided tour of the exhibition. On agreement, the lecture can be accompanied with a literary or visual exercise. Price: basic – 200 CZK per 1 hour per 1 group / Reservations: two weeks in advance

Entrance: basic 80 CZK, Reduced 40 CZK, family 120 CZK
Opening hours: daily except Mondays, 10 am – 6 pm

Contact for Journalists:
Marcela Hančilová, tel.: 224 301 167, 724 501 536, e-mail: hancilova@ngprague.cz
www.ngprague.cz