Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art: Veletrzni Palac

Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art in Prague exhibits paintings and sculptures from the 19th to 21st century. The collection includes prominent works by Pablo Picasso, Georges Braque, Auguste Renoir, Vincent van Gogh, Gustav Klimt and others. The collection also comprises Czech and international art, photography, design, architecture, furniture and stage design. More than 2000 objects are on display. In addition to the art collection, the building is also remarkable. The Veletržní palác, the Trade Fair Palace in the Holesovice district, is a prime example of functionalist architecture.

Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art: The Collection

The collection is so large that one visit is probably not enough. The permanent collection includes works by Alfons Mucha, Frantisek Bilek, Gustav Klimt, Egon Schieler and Piet Mondriaan and others. French artworks from the 19th and 20th centuries and European artworks from the early 20th century include Delacroix, Courbert, Picasso, Rousseau, Klimt an Munch. In addition to paintings and sculptures, you will also find furniture and applied art from the relevant period on each floor. The downstairs atrium is home to rotating exhibitions.

Three permanent exhibition
* 1796-1918: Art of the Long Century
* 1918-1938: First Czechoslovak Republic
* 1930-present: Czech Modern Art

Veletrzni Palac: second floor

Puppet animation films from the 1930s by Jiri Trnka (1912-1969), puppet-maker, illustrator, motion-picture animator and film director, are shown in the small cinema. Some of his dolls are in a display case. There is also a section on this floor devoted to socialist realism, the only art form allowed during communist rule.

Veletrzni Palac: third floor

The collection on the third floor is dedicated to Czech artists of the twentieth century: Jan Preisler who is considered the founder of Czech modern painting, the surrealist painters Jindrich Stryrsky and Toyen (artist name for Marie Cerminova).

French art by Auguste Renoir and mildly erotic art by Klimt is also on this floor. The Austrian impressionist Oskar Kokoschka lived in Prague for some time and painted a portrait of President Masaryk and a view of Charles Bridge from Kampa island with the Old Town with church towers in the background. These works are also on display.

Veletrzni Palac: fourth floor

This is where you will find the collection of Czech art. The eye-catcher is Vražda v domě (Murder in the House) by Jakub Schikaneder, a canvas two meters high and three meters wide. As it did in in 1891, it still evokes horror. Czech Cubism is represented by Gutfreund’s Don Quixote as is Frantisek Kupka, who is considered one of the most important abstract painters in the Czech Republic. Two other museums in Prague also specialize in Cubist art: the Museum of Cubism in the House of the Black Madonna and the Kampa Museum. More about Cubist Museum and Kampa Museum

Veletrzni Palac and Picasso

One room is entirely devoted to works by Picasso including two self-portraits, two of his nudes and other abstract work. There are also works by the French sculptor Rodin. In the early twentieth century, Czech sculptors became acquainted with his work which was shown at an exhibition in Prague.

Veletrzni Palac, Trade Fair Palace

The Trade Fair Palace building is an example of functionalist architecture. It was built in 1928 and one of the first functionalist buildings in Prague and was used for major events, exhibitions and meetings. The building has an eventful past. The Nazis used it as a gathering place for Jews before deportation to concentration camps. In the communist era, companies such as Tuzex, Strojimport and Skodaexport had offices in the building. In 1974, a major fire destroyed almost the entire building. In 1976 it was decided to renovate the building which was completed on the 1990s
More about Tuzex.

Modern Art Museum

The Trade Fair Trade Palace, now Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, has eight floors above-ground and two underground. The impressive atrium lobby is surrounded by galleries spanning all floors and linked by glass elevators that are works of art in their own right.
After the fire in 1974, it took twenty years for the Veletrzni Palac to reopen to the public. No longer as a trade fair centre, but as an exhibition space for the National Gallery Prague which displays here its extensive collections of modern and contemporary art.

Getting there

The Veletrzni Palac is in the Holesovice district. On the ground floor, next to the entrance, is café Jedna, which you can also enter without a museum admission ticket. The appeal of this cafe is the open space and the huge windows with so much natural light that you think you are sitting outside. The interior is beautiful because of its simplicity with light-coloured wooden furniture and many plants. You can choose from coffees from the mama coffee roastery, 100% fair trade, and all kinds of pastries.

Address
Veletrzni Palac, Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art
Dukelských hrdinů 47, Holesovice, Prague
Open 10.00-18.00, Wednesdays until 20.00

Public transport
Metro C – Vltavská
Tram 6, 17 – Veletržní palác
Tram 1, 2, 6, 8, 12, 17, 25, 26 – Strossmayerovo náměstí

Free with Prague Card

More museums in the Holesovice district
Dox, center for contemporary art
Lapidarium, exhibition of images that disappeared from view of the city
Maroldovo Panorama, panorama painting of the battle of Lipany in 1434

Photos: Marianne Crone