Prague and Brno galleries are planning an exhibition about Devětsil

Prague, March 5 (ČTK) - Two major exhibition institutions are planning a joint exhibition in 2010 about one of the most significant chapters in the history of Czech modern art, the group Devětsil. In three years, it will be 90 years since its founding in Prague, and later its influence expanded to Brno. The working title of the exhibition is therefore Devětsil: on the axis Prague - Brno.
The project is being prepared by the Gallery of the Capital City of Prague and the Moravian Gallery in Brno. The directors of both institutions signed a cooperation agreement for the preparation of the exhibition and its associated publication at the end of January, Alice Lenská from the Prague gallery informed ČTK.
The exhibition aims to present and evaluate all aspects related to the activities of the Devětsil association in a dignified and exhaustive manner. It will take place in 2010 in the exhibition halls of the City Library in Prague and in the exhibition spaces of the Museum of Applied Arts in the Moravian Gallery in Brno.
The exhibition and publication will showcase one of the most prominent generational groupings in Czech art of the 20th century. The broadly conceived retrospective will encompass all artistic areas.
More than 100 personalities passed through Devětsil. The exhibition will focus on the relationship between Devětsil and other European avant-garde centers of the 20s and early 30s. "Although the main figure of Devětsil was Karel Teige, the contribution of the exhibition will be to downplay the existing Prague-centric model of Devětsil and to emphasize the relationship with its second center, Brno, which also had a significant role in shaping the character of Czech visual art in the 1920s," says Karel Srp, the director of the Prague city gallery and the main curator of the exhibition.
The exhibition will newly present many previously unknown works of art, personal relationships, and literary documents; it will explore the connections between Devětsil and various fields of visual, literary, theatrical, and film production as well as publishing activities. An important part of the exhibition will also be an architectural section.
"Devětsil gave Czech art dimension, placing it on a level comparable to other international creations. The form of Czech art would look different today without it. Its impact is still evident in contemporary typography, architecture, and theater," Srp reminds us.