NEWS | 24. 4. 2017
Olomouc Museum of Art is preparing, together with other institutions of V4 countries, a unique project conducting a survey of modern art culture in the countries, coming into existence after the break down of Austria-Hungary. It will be the first synthesizing perspective, which will intersect culture and art in Central European region. The project will culminate in Olomouc, in September, by opening of the exhibition Years of Disarray | Between anxiety and delight 1908-1928, which visit also other European countries in the following years.
“For the first time in post-war history artworks of the period between 1908 and 1928 from all four countries will appear in Central European space next to each other”, emphasized director of the Olomouc Museum of Art Michal Soukup. “On the other hand it will be very demanding organisation work, because the works of art we want to present here, are not placed only on the territory of Central Europe, but really all over the world”.
The exhibition will include works from expressionism of the beginning of the 20th century through cubism and constructivism to avant-garde of the 1920s. “About one hundred artists and three hundred works, not only from V4 countries, but also e.g. from Austria, Romania or states of the former Yugoslavia, “said the chief curator of the entire project Karel Srp, former director of the Prague City Gallery.
Visitors will thus have the opportunity to observe, how individual artists and art groups active in the territory of the former Austria-Hungary and the new arisen Europe influenced and cooperated with wit each other. So it will be much easier for the general public to understand relationships and connections concerning origin of artworks by such artists as e.g. Wassily Kandinsky, Emil Filla, Josef Čapek, František Kupka, Oscar Kokoschka, László Moholy-Nagy, Lajos Kassák, Władysław Strzeminski, Katarzyna Kobro and many others. “It is a great honour for me that we were invited to work on this project, which is astonishing. I hope that not only experts but also the general public will perceive it in the same way” said Csornay Boldizsár, director of the Janus Pannonius Museum in Pécs.
Director of the Bratislava City Gallery Ivan Jančár said that as an art historian he savoured the selected artworks, which are to be at the exhibition. “On the other hand I am able, as a director, to imagine how difficult it will be to bring here all that works, because they really come from all around the world” added director Jančár.
“In view of the fact that the main catalyst of our collaboration is the director Michal Soukup, the Olomouc Museum of Art thus becomes for us other the centre of the centre,” said Jacek Purchla, director of the International Cultural Centre in Cracow. “And as for Olomouc and Cracow, I believe, that this only is the beginning of other projects, because we are interested in collaboration. We would like to bring other exhibition of Czech art to Cracow, so that also the Poles could acquaint themselves with it.”
The exhibition will also be accompanied by a highly presentable publication in six language versions, which will be prepared by Arbor vitae societas publishers.
The Memorandum about mutual cooperation on the international exhibition project Years of Disarray was signed 24.4.2017 by Jacek Purchla (Międzynarodowe Centrum Kultury Kraków), Ivan Jančár (Galéria mesta Bratislavy), Csornay Boldizsár (Janus Pannonius Múzeum Pécs), Michaela Šojdrová (Member of European Parliament), Martin Souček (Publishing house Arbor vitae societas) and Michal Soukup (Muzeum umění Olomouc).