The founder of the Moravian Gallery in Brno and art historian Jiří Hlušička has died

Prague – On Thursday, art historian and critic Jiří Hlušička passed away, who played a key role in the founding of the Moravian Gallery in Brno in the 1960s. He was 95 years old. The Moravian Gallery announced this today via Czech News Agency (ČTK). Hlušička led the gallery for almost three decades until 1989, during which time it built a collection of paintings and sculptures of Czech modernism, featuring works by Bohumil Kubišta, Emil Filla, Josef Šíma, and Antonín Procházka. The last farewell to Hlušička will take place in a small family circle.

Hlušička became the head of the Moravian Museum's gallery at the beginning of 1959, and thanks to his efforts, the Moravian Gallery in Brno was established in 1961. "The Moravian Gallery owes its birth to Jiří Hlušička as well as his relentless further work and expert care for its reputation,” the institution stated in a press release. Hlušička, who focused on Czech art of the 20th century, was named emeritus director of the Moravian Gallery after his departure.

Hlušička was born on April 24, 1929, in Nový Bydžov in the Hradec Králové Region. He trained as a typographer in Liberec, and then his life became intertwined with Brno. In 1947, he was admitted to the graphic arts program at the Brno Higher School of Applied Arts and later studied art history and aesthetics at the Faculty of Arts of today’s Masaryk University. He became the head of the Moravian Museum's gallery two years after completing his studies.

During Hlušička's nearly thirty-year tenure at the Moravian Gallery, exhibition and publishing activities developed alongside the creation of collections, the gallery noted. "He also increased the gallery's popularity by organizing cultural and educational programs for the public, including youth,” it added.

In his publishing work, Hlušička focused on significant figures in modern art associated with Moravia, such as sculptor Vincenc Makovský and painters Jaroslav Král, Bohdan Lacina, and František Foltýn. Together with artist Jan Rajlich, Hlušička contributed to the organization of the Brno Biennale of Applied Graphics. In 2022, he received the City of Brno Award and became an honorary citizen of the city.