This is another gem just off the tour group routes. Indeed it is outside walking distance of the centre of old Prague, so you need to catch a tram. Somehow, this serves to put off almost everybody. When I went the place was next to deserted. But its probably the best modern art gallery I have visited - way, way better than the vastly overrated Tate Modern in London.
Its is housed in a Trade Fair "Palace" from the 1920s. Whatever they might say, from the exterior this is a very dull building - no architectural masterpiece. Its just a not very interesting office building. Inside its better with a huge atrium. But its the collection that one comes to see, and its very large encompassing everything from a good collection of impressionists, cubists (lot of Piccassos) and other late 19th century works to the sort of weird modern bits one might expect.
The ground floor contains the Cycle of the Slav People, a series of huge canvases painted by Alfons Mucha. This was his life's work after having made a huge amount of money as the most successful commercial artist of his day. Each painting is devoted to some event of the Slav people (some mythical). Each canvas is vast, dramatic and engrossing.
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| Big Dialog by Karel Nepra |
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| A model for a large statue in homage to Stalin, which shortly after being constructed was then destroyed, someone having noticed that Stalin was an evil bastard rather than a hero of the revolution. And the sculptor committed suicide. Unhappy business all round. |
Nothing shows the scale of these two art deco bronzes - they are life-size, and very impressive
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