The East Bohemian Gallery in Pardubice bids farewell to the exhibition spaces in the castle

Pardubice - The East Bohemian Gallery in Pardubice today opened the exhibition Bodies in Tight Spaces, which confronts the fates of human bodies in contemporary art and classical modernism. With the presentation of works of art, it bids farewell to the spaces at the castle, where it will no longer exhibit. The gallery is building a new extensive facility in the automatic mills, its representatives told ČTK.

"The last exhibition project in the gallery's spaces at the Pardubice castle is a celebration of the collections of the East Bohemian Gallery in Pardubice, a celebration of the institution’s seventy years and at the same time a starting point for a new era of its direction," stated Michaela Johnová Čapková from the gallery.

In January 2023, the institution will change its name to the Gočár Gallery, present a new visual identity, and focus attention on exhibition projects for its new premises. The mills were designed by architect Josef Gočár.

The gallery has been exhibiting in the economic building of Pardubice Castle since 1970. The latest exhibition there presents works of pre-war modernism from the first half of the 20th century, which uses expressionism and cubism to reinterpret the human body. In contrast, there are contemporary works from the years 2017 to 2022.

"The oldest dated work in the exhibition is a small painting by Ernst Ludwig Kirchner from 1911, the newest is from this year, small sculptures by Barbora Fastová and a video by Marie Tučková," said curator Viktor Čech.

The exhibition features works by many well-known authors, including Zdenka Burghauserová, Emil Filla, Jaroslav Grus, Georges Kars, Pravoslav Kotík, Svatopluk Máchal, František Muzika, Václav Nejtek, Antonín Pelc, Vít Svoboda, Václav Špála, Karel Šourek, Vojtěch Tittelbach, Jan Trampota, Josef Váchal, Zuzana Žabková – Eva Priečková, and Ladislav Zívr.

"The exhibited items come mainly from the gallery's collections and are evidence of the quality professional work of both past and present staff of the gallery," said Johnová Čapková.

The exhibition confronts the fates of human bodies, with artists reflecting their time; in the first half of the 20th century, this involved two world wars, while contemporary works also take into account issues such as ecology and the climate crisis. "Art is certainly not just a mere mirror of its time, but also an active player," said Čech.