2024-04-25
Kunsthalle Praha is a new artistic space on the map of the Czech Republic. Opened last month, the private museum of modern and contemporary art operates on a non-profit basis with the goal of integrating the Czech art scene with the international community.
The institution was founded by the Pudil Family Foundation, owned by entrepreneurs and collectors Petr and Pavlina Pudilová. In 2015, the couple purchased an industrial building designed in the 1930s by Vilém Kvasnička that had served as an electrical station. It underwent extensive reconstruction with the aim of announcing the official opening of the non-governmental museum in February 2022. Funding for the Kunsthalle will be based on the family foundation's activities, ticket sales and membership fees.
The name of the institution refers to the city's multicultural past. Kunsthalle is a word originating from the late 19th century, meaning a space intended for temporary exhibitions of contemporary art. At that time, kunsthalles presenting mainly works by living artists could be found throughout Europe. Over time, however, the concept began to blend with the idea of a museum, where permanent exhibitions were displayed. The Kunstalle Praha, combining both ideas, plans to build its permanent collection, presenting part of it during temporary thematic exhibitions. The entire collection, meanwhile, is to be made available to art lovers online.
"KINETISMUS: 100 Years of Electricity in Art" is the first presentation of (over 90) works at the Prague Museum. The exhibition tells the story of how artistic activity has changed thanks to the invention and availability of electricity. In addition to the emergence of new technologies and digital art, electricity has allowed for innovations in the fields of cinematography, kinetic art, cybernetic art, and computer art. The exhibition features works by artists such as Mary Ellen Bute, László Moholy-Nagy, Marcel Duchamp, and Olafur Eliasson.