50 Masterpieces of Czech Fin de Siècle Art from the Collections of The Gallery of West Bohemia in Pilsen

The collection of the fin de siécle art from the collections of the Gallery of West Bohemia in Pilsen is one of the best in the context of Czech public collections. It includes all the important styles and trends that appeared on the art scene of the time, i.e. naturalism, symbolism, impressionism and art nouveau. Czech art at this time was in the process of integration into international structures and many artists from the Czech lands studied, exhibited or worked in the key cultural capitals of Europe, such as Vienna, Munich and Paris. Two personalities who achieved worldwide fame are represented in the Pilsen collection: one of the most important representatives of art nouveau, Alfons Mucha, and the later co-founder of abstract painting, František Kupka. In addition to these artists, the Pilsen collection also contains works by other important artists who shaped the art scene of the time – among them Antonín Slavíček, Jan Preisler, Jaroslav Špillar, Luděk Marold and Václav Brožík, to name but a few.

This book, which is the third outcome of a long-term joint project of the Gallery of West Bohemia in Pilsen and the prestigious London publishing house Scala Arts & Heritage, presents fifty works selected by the Gallery Director Roman Musil with annotations by leading Czech and foreign experts on fine art at the turn of the 20th century.