Art Life – Art for Life

The permanent exhibition ART, LIFE. Art for Life opened on February 7, 2023, on the 138th anniversary of the founding of the Museum of Decorative Arts. Across six thematically organized halls of the historic building, it presents a vivid and comprehensive picture of European applied art from antiquity through 20th and 21st century design. More than 1,300 objects from the museum's collection—which comprises half a million items in total—are on display.

The exhibition is organized thematically rather than chronologically, placing functionally and formally similar objects from different historical periods side by side. The Rituals and Celebrations hall showcases liturgical vessels, vestments, and secular ceremonial objects. The Microworlds: Princely Kunstkammer hall explores aristocratic encyclopedic collections that bridged natural sciences and art. The Dress: Body and Embodiment hall traces the evolution of fashion and jewelry from the early 19th to the late 20th century. The Design and Phenomena of Modernity hall features iconic bent furniture by Thonet and works of modern design. The final hall, Utopias, Cosmos, Play, is devoted to cosmic inspirations and utopian visions in Czech design—furniture by Milan Knížák, toys by Libuše Niklová, and jewelry by Václav Cigler.

The exhibition is complemented by projections and lightboxes. The concept and scenario were developed by museum director Radim Vondráček under the supervision of former director Helena Koenigsmarková. Every third Sunday of the month, admission to the permanent exhibition is free.