Old Masters I – Collection of Old Art Exhibition at Schwarzenberg Palace

The permanent exhibition Old Masters I at Schwarzenberg Palace presents a selection of the most significant masterworks from the Collection of Old Art: Hans von Aachen, Petr Brandl, Matyáš Bernard Braun, Lucas Cranach, Adriaen de Vries, Albrecht Dürer, El Greco, Francisco José Goya, Hans Holbein, Jan Gossaert called Mabuse, Rembrandt van Rijn, Jusepe de Ribera, Peter Paul Rubens, Bartholomaeus Spranger, Karel Škréta, Simon Vouet, Michael Leopold Willmann and others. The basic timeframe spans the 16th to 18th centuries, drawing from a retrospective view of pre-Renaissance tendencies in Gothic art and classical works as inspiration for Renaissance and Baroque art. The exhibition is conceived as a dialogue between national and international impulses, influences and changes in the spirit of dialectics of forms, styles and motifs. The architectural design reflects this concept: the ground floor serves as a prologue to the exhibition, the first and second floors form a thematic panorama of Renaissance and Baroque art, and the attic space is devoted to collecting, painting and sculpture, sketches and cabinet painting. One section is dedicated to artistic production in Bohemia during the Baroque period. Since October 2024, the exhibition includes a new section called Baroque in Bohemia, which presents over forty works from the 17th and 18th centuries in three ground-floor halls. The exhibition was curated by Marius Winzeler, with architectural design by Josef Pleskot (AP Atelier). The palace entrance has been restored from Hradčany Square via the courtyard. The National Gallery also offers a combined ticket for the exhibitions Old Masters I and Old Masters II (Šternberg Palace) for 300 CZK.