1918–1938: The First Republic – National Gallery Exhibition in Prague

This collection exhibition 1918–1938: The First Republic was created for the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Czechoslovak Republic and is located on the 3rd floor of the Veletržní Palace. It presents the rich artistic output and cultural life of young Czechoslovakia in the years 1918–1938 through the eyes of an art-loving visitor of that era. The exhibition features paintings and sculptures by leading Czech, Slovak, Czech-German, and Carpathian Ruthenian artists (Václav Špála, Josef Čapek, Jindřich Štyrský, Toyen, August Brömse, Maxim Kopf, Wenzel Hablik) alongside works from the renowned French collection (Paul Gauguin, Henri Rousseau, Pablo Picasso, Vincent van Gogh, Claude Monet, Henri Matisse) that the Czechoslovak state acquired shortly after its founding in the 1920s and 1930s. The exhibition is not limited to fine art but includes interdisciplinary elements – book design, design, and applied graphic design. Visitors can see partial reconstructions of landmark historical exhibitions, such as the Stubborn Ones exhibition, the Exhibition of Contemporary Culture in Brno, Poetry 1932, or the First Surrealist Exhibition in the CSR. The exhibition emphasizes Prague as the main artistic center and also presents important exhibition venues in Brno, Zlín, Bratislava, Košice, and Uzhhorod. Since October 2023, the exhibition has been part of an audio guide. A ticket to this exhibition is valid for all collection exhibitions in the Veletržní Palace.