The exhibition of the Moravian Gallery was created by amateurs, such as a physicist and a waitress

Brno - A waitress, a theoretical physicist, a railway worker, a politician, and six other curators from various professions have participated in a new exhibition at the Moravian Gallery in Brno. Each of them was given the opportunity to select artworks from the collections and deposits according to their taste. The resulting exhibition titled The Best of... is part of the celebrations for the 50th anniversary of the establishment of the Brno Museum of Art. According to the gallery's management, the laypersons have brought a new, fresh perspective to the collection and uncovered long-unseen works, but simultaneously, a professional exhibition has been created.
    The invited curators selected works from a wider offer created by the gallery, as well as from catalogs and inventory lists of the collections; some even went through the deposits. "At their own discretion, they could freely combine various types of artworks, themes, techniques, stylistic or historical periods, or conversely focus on a single theme, object, epoch, or author that was something close to them," said the author of the exhibition's concept, Petr Ingerle from the Moravian Gallery.
    The exhibition is divided into ten parts. Each was stamped with the seal of one lay curator's personal taste. For example, railway worker Ladislava Antoníčková primarily chose works by Josef Čapek, who captivated her in childhood as an illustrator. Waitress Zuzana Holíková selected works that capture the human being, their personality, soul, mood, or feeling in some way. "I cannot paint or photograph myself, so I admire the way artists can capture a person, their personality, society as a whole," Holíková told reporters.
    Music composer Miloš Štědroň reached for avant-garde art, such as the drawings of Morgan O'Hara, which uniquely capture the movement of musicians while playing their instruments. Brno's Mayor Roman Onderka also selected works - his part of the exhibition features a chess table. It is reportedly an expression of the stance that life and politics are akin to a chess game. The gallery curators particularly appreciated the taste and thoughtful selection by theoretical physicist Petr Hořava, who combined, for example, Josef Váchal with Emil Filla and the Master of the Rajhrad Altar.
    Perhaps the most elaborate concept was presented by architect Marek Štěpán. He primarily selected from ancient art. In a darkened hall, he had certain details of the paintings sharply illuminated - such as the wounds of Christ on the cross or the clasped hands of figures. "I chose hands, gestures of hands, as my theme, which are not wholly dependent on the quality of the paintings or sculptures they appear in," Štěpán described. At the same time, he lightened his intent with civilian and concise descriptions of the works.
    The exhibition features paintings, sculptures, photographs, furniture, applied art, and even weapons or artistic book bindings. Works by well-known artists, such as Jan Zrzavý, Jan Preisler, and Max Švabinský, are included. The exhibits come from various periods, from The Carrying of the Cross, which the Master of the Rajhrad Altar painted around 1450, to contemporary authors.
    Other contacted laypersons included economist Tomáš Sedláček and presenter Adéla Banášová. The exhibition in the ground floor of the Museum of Applied Arts on Husova Street will last until October 23. It is accompanied by a catalog with photographs from the exhibition and explanatory texts from each of the lay curators.