Location

• Strahovské nádvoří 1, 118 38 Prague - Hradčany, Czech Republic
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Languages

• Czech
• Slovak

Website

• http://www.pamatniknarodnihopisemnictvi.cz/o-umeleckych-sbirkach/

Name of collection

• Art Collections of the Museum of Czech Literature

Provenance and cultural activities

• The Art Collections of the Museum of Czech Literature were founded in 1952 in order to prepare the exhibitions of the Museum of Czech Literature. The collection was originally named the Documentation and Gallery of Literature. The first collection, which consisted of material owned by Strahovský klášter, was enlarged. In the 1950s the Collection of Jiří Karásek ze Lvovic (known as the Karásek Gallery), the archive of illustrations from Vilímek publishing house, part of the Družstevní práce archive, Otto publishing house, the archive of Šolc and Šimáček Publishing House and works from the National Control Committee were added to the collection. In 1964 the collection underwent a transformation and its new edict was to “collect, work on, publish, and exhibit original works of fine and applied art, the material heritage of writers, materials connected to the evolution of literature and literary culture in general, as well as pieces connected to individual authors.”

  The orientation of the collection is defined by the connection between Czech literature and fine art. The most important aspects of the collection are book illustrations, works of art inspired by important books, portraits and caricature, visual works by those who were active in the literary field, and unique books. In 1991 the collection of Ex libris Cabinett (founded in 1974) became part of the Art Collections.

  Before 1989, the Art Collections, alongside the Museum of Czech Literature, organised readings, lectures, and small exhibitions. The full list of these no longer exists. Even though the institution was owned by state, a number of activities were close to the underground (such as the performance of the Fluxus group) and works by authors that were not officially approved were included in the collection.

Description of content

• The collection owns 400,000 pieces. Most of them date back to the nineteenth century and the time before 1948. However, hundreds of collages, photos, graphics, drawings, paintings, objects, and non-traditional media from the period after 1948 are present here as well. The value of the collection is not based solely on the price of single works of art; it is unique because of its complexity and the connection with the literary archive, together depicting cultural and intellectual life in Czechoslovakia. Thus works by artists, as well as their letters to and from colleagues, manuscripts and art objects given to them, are part of this collection. The collection covers a broad period, from the nineteenth century to the present day.

Content

• graphics: 100-499
• manuscripts (ego-documents, diaries, notes, letters, drafts, etc.): 100-499
• other artworks (that cannot be classified by other filter categories such as paintings, sculptures, graphics, etc.): 10-99
• paintings: 100-499
• photos: 10-99
• publications (books, newspapers, articles, press clippings): 100-499

Operator(s)

• Museum of Czech Literature

Owner(s)

• Museum of Czech Literature

Topics

• avant-garde, neo-avant-garde
• fine arts
• underground culture

Founder(s)

• Museum of Czech Literature

Date of founding

• 1952

Place of founding

• Praha, Prague, Czech Republic
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Creator(s) of content

• Kolář, Jiří
• Kolářová, Běla
• Teige, Karel

Collector(s)

• Museum of Czech Literature

Supporters

• Ministry of Culture of the Czech Republic

Important events in the history of the collection

• Exhibition: Performance of The Fluxus Group, 1966

Featured items

• Teige, Karel. Collages, 1935-1951.

Access type

• visits by appointments

Publications

• Hamanová, Růžena, and Zdeněk Freisleben. 2013. Památník národního písemnictví 1953-2013 = The Museum of Czech literature 1953-2013 = Das Museum der tschechischen Literatur 1953-2013. Praha: Památník národního písemnictví.
  
  Hubáčková, Vilma, Alena Petruželková, Graeme Dibble, James Partridge, and Vendula Knopová. 2015. Zpráva o knize = [Book report]. Praha: Památnik národního písemnictví.

  
  Hoffmeister, Adolf, František Šmejkal, and Rumjana Dačeva. 1992. Adolf Hoffmeister (1902-1973): výběr z díla : Památník národního písemnictví v Praze, říjen-listopad 1992. Praha: Památník národního písemnictví.
  
  Památník národního písemnictví. 1997. Báseň, obraz, gesto, zvuk: experimentální poezie 60. let : [katalog k výstavě, Praha 10.3.-2.6.1997]. Praha: Památník národního písemnictví.
  
  Bouda, Cyril, and Josef Javůrek. 1959. Cyril Bouda a kniha; výstava knižní tvorby. Praha: Památník národního písemnictví, 1959.

Author(s) of this page

• Lomová, Johana

References

Hauser, Jakub. 2016. “Čekání na příběhy.” Art+Antiques 15, No. 2 (February 2016): 44-49.

“Památník národního písemnictví a jeho sbírky”. Accessed September 10, 2016. http://oldknihovna.nkp.cz/knihovna92/0902134.htm

“Památník národního písemnictví”. Accessed September 10, 2016. http://artycok.tv/lang/cs-cz/online-exhibition/noz-pamatnik-narodniho-pisemnictvinjme-museum-czech-literature

Hamanová, Růžena, and Zdeněk Freisleben. 2013. Památník národního písemnictví 1953-2013 = The Museum of Czech literature 1953-2013 = Das Museum der tschechischen Literatur 1953-2013. Praha: Památník národního písemnictví.

Hauser, Jakub , interview by Lomová, Johana , September 08, 2016. COURAGE Registry Oral History Collection