The Century of Relativity II. Permanent Exhibition of Fine Art from the 20th and Early 21st Centuries

24 Jul 2026
PRESS RELEASE
  • EXHIBITION: The Century of Relativity II. Permanent Exhibition of Fine Art from the 20th and Early 21st Centuries
  • PLACE: Museum of Modern Art, Mansarda + Art Gallery
  • OPENING: 22. 7. 2026
  • AUTHORS AND CURATORS: Štěpánka Bieleszová (1900–1946), Štěpánka Bieleszová, Ladislav Daněk (1947–2000+)
  • LANGUAGE EDITING: Hana Havlíčková, Zuzana Henešová
  • GRAPHIC DESIGN: Petr Šmalec, Kateřina Manková
  • SPATIAL DESIGN AND INSTALLATION: Vlastimil Sedláček, Michal Soukup, Filip Šindelář, Radka Žáková
  • EXHIBIT PREPARATION: Jakub Barna, Veronika Langer Klimszová, Anna Píšťková, Gabriela Polívková
  • HAPTIC TRAIL PROJECT: Department of Typhlopedics, Palacký University in Olomouc, Education Department OMA
  • EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMMES: David Hrbek, Denisa Tessenyi
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After a one-year hiatus, the Olomouc Museum of Art has reopened its significantly revamped permanent exhibition of modern and contemporary art, The Century of Relativity II. Its main aim is to present—particularly to the general public—the complex story of the interplay between various, often contradictory, artistic styles against the backdrop of a more or less linear timeline, as illustrated by selected works. The emphasis is primarily on paintings and sculptures, which introduce visitors to the fundamental currents and trends in Czech modern art. A distinctive feature of the exhibition is the placement of Czech postwar art within the Central European artistic context.

In terms of numbers, the exhibition features works by 118 artists; 34 of the exhibits are being presented by the curators for the very first time, and 12 exhibits are returning after a long absence.

The Mansarda attic exhibition space is dedicated to art from the first half of the 20th century. Its introduction reflects the waning of Impressionism and Symbolist trends from the early 20th century. The main focus of the exhibition, however, is a thorough and rich presentation of modern movements ranging from Expressionism, Cubism, and Cubo-Expressionism to Civilism or, conversely, the exoticism of the 1920s. The exhibition also includes abstract expressions and Surrealism from the turn of the 1920s and 1930s. The exhibition concludes with works by artists from Group 42 and pieces that reflect, in various forms, the apocalypse of war. Special attention is given to modern landscape painting, whose most striking examples also capture—albeit in a different language—the atmosphere of the era in which they were created.

The second part of the permanent exhibition, located one floor below in the Picture Gallery, aims to provide visitors with a concise overview of the most significant artistic trends from the end of World War II through the end of the 20th century, with several forays into the current century. The exhibition opens with examples of works by prominent individual artists of the 1950s and by artists who built on the prewar avant-garde. This is followed by postwar abstract art—that is, works associated with various forms of gestural and structural abstraction. From the many conflicting trends of the 1960s, we present examples of neo-constructivism, kinetic art, and so-called “new geometry,” which, however, did not fully develop until the 1970s and 1980s. This section is logically followed by conceptual works from the same period, complemented by a film loop featuring the most striking examples of not only Czech action art. These works stand in a certain contrast to the paintings and sculptures of the so-called “New Figuration,” Czech Grotesque, and later Existential Figuration. The penultimate section of the exhibition is devoted to postmodern expressions, whose influences clearly shaped art in the decades that followed. Compared to the original exhibition (2013–2025), this section now features works reflecting the development of post-war landscape painting and other diverse expressions inspired by the phenomenon of nature.

However, the art gallery is not dedicated solely to Czech art; thanks to the Art Museum’s long-term acquisition efforts in connection with the Central European Forum Olomouc (SEFO) project, visitors can view Czech postwar art within a broader international artistic context. This representative selection of works by Central European artists—many of which have since become iconic, including those by artists working in exile (Germany, France)—should be viewed as an open dialogue between Czech art and the work of artists from Slovakia, Poland, and Hungary, including Rudolf Fila, Juraj Meliš, Igor Minárik, Dezider Tóth, Jana Želibská, Stefan Gierowski, Tadeusz Mieczysław Janikowski, Tadeusz Kantor, Jerzy Kujawski, Alfred Lenica, Jan Pamuła, Janusz Orbitowski, Ryszard Winiarski, Imre Bak, Dóra Maurer, István Nádler, Sándor Pinczehelyi, and Endre Tóth.

This international framework shows that while art created under similar political, cultural, and social conditions shares many common features, the distinctiveness of individual expressions—which stem from local characteristics—cannot be overlooked.

HAPTIC TRAIL

Starting this September, the exhibition will also feature the educational project “Haptic Trail: Closer to Art Through Touch,” created by Denisa Tessenyi. It will make selected sculptures from the collections of the Olomouc Museum of Art accessible through 3D-printed models, tactile elements, and verbal descriptions. In the exhibition foyer and the adjacent CEAD space, visitors will thus be able to experience art not only through sight, but also through touch and multisensory experiences. It is primarily intended for people with visual impairments, but anyone who wants to discover art without barriers and in new ways can take advantage of it.

Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)