“As in previous years, the National Gallery commemorates its anniversary by allowing visitors in for free and by offering them an interesting array of accompanying programmes,” said the Gallery’s spokesperson Eva Kolerusová.
Academy and Picture Gallery
The history of Prague’s National Gallery dates back to 5th February 1796, when a group of art loving aristocrats together with a few scholars from the ranks of enlightened townsmen decided to “improve decadent artistic taste of the local public”. That is how the Society of the Patriotic Friends of Arts was created to give later on rise to two important Prague institutions: the Academy of Art and the Picture Gallery.
“It was the Picture Gallery of the Society of the Patriotic Friends of Arts that became a direct precursor of the current National Gallery in Prague. In 1902, the Picture Gallery was joined by another significant institution: the Modern Gallery of the Kingdom of the Czech Lands that was founded by Emperor Franz Joseph I,” said Kolerusová.
Modern Gallery
The Modern Gallery began to build a collection of the 20st century Czech art. In 1918, the Picture Gallery was changed into the central art collection of the new state. Since 1919 the Gallery was managed by Vincenc Kramář, who in a short time managed to change it into a modern and professionally managed gallery.
