Czech Art of the 20th Century and Its Categories

The Gallery of Modern Art in Hradec Králové (GMU) opened on 21 February 2026 a new permanent exhibition titled "Czech Art of the 20th Century and Its Categories", which will be on display until January 2030. The exhibition, curated by Tomáš Kolich and Petra Příkazská, presents and simultaneously questions established categories and concepts through which art history is commonly narrated – specifically the concepts of school, style (-ism), group, (un)official art, and generation. The permanent core of the exhibition comprises more than 180 works by more than 140 artists, including works by Bohumil Kubišta, Jan Preisler, Emil Filla and other classics, as well as extensively represented works by artists from the second half of the 20th century. The exhibition is located on the second and third floors of the gallery and also reflects the local context – for example, it presents the work of Milan Langer and other artists with ties to the region. The permanent exhibition includes rotating exhibitions that change three times a year in three sections, so the exhibition remains attractive for repeat visitors. An expert publication "Categories of Czech Visual Art of the 20th Century" by Tomáš Kolich was published for the exhibition and is available in the GMU e-shop. The exhibition was supported by the Ministry of Culture of the Czech Republic and the City of Hradec Králové.