- Phone: +420 220 397 211
- Website: ngprague.cz
- Opening hours: Tue-Sun from 10:00 to 18:00
The National Gallery in Prague is a place that must be visited by all art lovers. Here are collected many works relating to different ages and styles. To visit the gallery should be prepared in advance, because to see all the expositions of the gallery in one day is almost impossible.
General information
The Prague National Gallery was formed in 1949 through the merger of the galleries already existing at that time into a single whole. At the moment this complex has several buildings, which is managed by one state organization. It includes:
- Exhibition Palace;
- The Palace of Kinsky ;
- Salm Palace;
- Anegean monastery ;
- Schwarzenberg Palace;
- Sternberg Palace ;
- Waldstein Manege.
A bit of history
The history of the National Art Gallery in Prague begins on February 5, 1796. It was on this day that the Patriotic Society of Friends of Art was formed, which yearned to preserve the works of art of the past, as well as to select the most interesting examples of modernity.
For exhibiting these works and familiarizing people with art, the Czech-Moravian Gallery was created. It was with her that it all began.
In 1902, created another gallery - Modern Art. In 1942, at the height of the war, both were united into one. And already in 1949 a merger of various collections occurred, which led to the emergence of a single National Gallery.
Expositions
In different buildings there are different collections, structured according to time intervals, geography, genres and styles. Below we will briefly consider what and where you can see:
- Exhibition Palace - there are works of art from the XIX century and nowadays. In the exposition there are many works of Czech modernists, there is a collection of French art - Van Gogh, Delacroix, Monet, Renoir, Gauguin, Cezanne, Shora, Chagall, etc. The exposition of the International art of the XX-XXI centuries is represented by works of Klimt, Munch, Dominguez, Moore. In total, in the building of the Exhibition Palace there are more than 2000 works of art.
- Anegean Monastery - here you can see the medieval art of Moravia. The exposition presents more than 200 items of pictorial art, sculpture and applied craft.
- Kinsky Palace - in this amazingly pompous building on the Old Town Square is located a huge collection of art objects from Asia. The exposition totals more than 13,5 thousand exhibits from Korea , Japan , China, Tibet, etc. There are Japanese engravings, Islamic ceramics, Buddhist figurines. On the second floor is the art of ancient countries - Egypt, Mesopotamia, Nubia, etc.
- Salm Palace - demonstrates the exposition of classical and romantic art of the Czech Republic , Austria and Germany.
- Schwarzenberg Palace - the exhibition presents the art of Czech masters from the late Renaissance to the end of the XVIII century. On the first floor there are sculptures, there is also a skicárium - a room that is closest to the workplace of the sculptor of the Baroque times. On the second and third floors of the palace you can admire the collections of paintings. Under the roof itself found the place of the Imperial Weapons Chamber.
- Sternberg Palace - here is a collection of works of art from antiquity to the heyday of the Baroque, and there is also a collection of European icons. On the second floor of the palace you can find paintings by Goya, Rubens and El Greco.
- Valdstejn Manege - on its territory temporary exhibitions of various Czech or world artists are located. A picturesque park is located around the arena.