Guided Tour of the Medek, Koblasa Exhibition with Curators Mahulena Nešlehová and Lenka Bydžovská

The exhibition "Defying the Ban" commemorates the legendary joint exhibition of Mikuláš Medek and Jan Koblasa, held in August 1963 in the castle riding school in Teplice. Through works by both artists from 1959-1963 and photographs by Jiří Hampl, the exhibition explores this extraordinary event in post-war Czechoslovak art, which took place despite previous restrictions during a brief period of political liberalization.

The existentially oriented work of Medek and Koblasa broke through the ideological caution of the era and opened up themes of anxiety, freedom, pain, and hope. The exhibition marks the 100th anniversary of Mikuláš Medek's birth and recreates the original Teplice display at the Museum Kampa. It will be presented by curators Mahulena Nešlehová and Lenka Bydžovská.

Mikuláš Medek (1926-1974) was one of the most significant Czech post-war painters, whose expressive and existentially charged work represents a key moment in modern Czech art.

Jan Koblasa (1932-2017) was a prominent Czech sculptor, painter, and educator whose work is characterized by strong existential expression and a free, experimental approach to sculpture.