Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
National Gallery
Surrounded by the decorative Art Nouveau buildings of Hole
√
ovice, the
austere Veletr
≈
ní Palace is a daring work of art in itself. It was the first official
Functionalist building in Europe, and even Le Corbusier was impressed by the
eight-storey edifice when he visited Prague in 1928. After years as a trade
fair complex, plans to turn the building into the home of the National
Gallery's modern art collection were launched in 1979. Alongside prominent
Czech contributions to modern art is a rich array of international masters
from the 19th, 20th and 21st centuries.
Top 10 Paintings
1 House in Aix-en-Provence
2 Bonjour, Monsieur Gauguin
3 Rider Jaguar Attacking a
Horseman
4 Green Wheat
5 St John the Baptist
6 Head of a Young Girl
7 At the Moulin Rouge
8 Myself, Self Portrait
9 Self Portrait
0 Anxiety
Entrance
Veletr≈ní Palace façade
The café on the
ground floor also
doubles as an
Internet café.
The first floor houses
short-term exhibits.
Check the weekly
galleries listings of
the
Prague Post
for
details
(see p128)
.
Dukelsk†ch hrdinu 47,
Hole√ovice
• Map B5
• 224 301111
• www.ngprague.cz
• Open 10am-6pm
Tue-Sun
• Dis. access
• Adm varies according
to exhibitions
0
0
House in Aix-en-Provence
The National Gallery's impressive collection of French
art was begun in 1923, when Czech president Tomá√
Masaryk helped found a small collection. This bright
landscape
(above)
by Paul Cézanne was one of those
original 25 pieces.
Bonjour,
Monsieur Gauguin
Paul Gaugín's simple, flat
self-portrait
(right)
was
originally painted as a
decoration for the lower
panel of a dining-room door
for a house in Brittany. The
much-admired 19th-century
French artist made this
enlarged copy in 1889.
26
For details of other National Gallery sites in Prague
See p36
