The National Gallery in Prague presents the first exhibition about Josef Karel Burde (also called Bourdet), a man who contributed to the graphic art boom in Bohemia and helped rescue artworks from private collections and make them available
to the public.
The Society of Patriotic Friends of Arts was established in 1796. Its members were enlightened aristocrats and burghers seeking to foster and cultivate Czech art. They offered their own collections to create the Picture Gallery, a precursor of today's National Gallery in Prague. Burde was appointed its first inspector. The post of inspector, i.e. custodian and administrator, encompassed a variety of responsibilities ranging from curatorial work and painting restoration to administration, guided tours and ticket sales. Burde gradually became a respected connoisseur, his skills certainly enhanced by his avid collecting. He also did his own paintings, drawings and prints. His graphic art is presented in its entirety in this exhibition and an accompanying booklet. Besides his pre-romantic landscapes in the etching technique (in the manner of Dutch painting), a newly discovered oil painting in the classicizing style and plein air drawings are also on display. The minute execution can be seen in his graphic reproductions of old masters and contemporaries. New forms and themes in 19th-century Czech art appear in caricature prints, which also include the artist's self-caricature.
