One hundred years ago, Oldřich Kuba (March 4, 1925 – August 4, 2000), the first director of the Gallery of West Bohemia in Pilsen, was born. He headed the gallery from its establishment in 1954 and during his tenure, he built a high-quality collection ranging from historical to contemporary art. Its highlights include works spanning from Romanticism to interwar modernism, encompassing Czech fin de siècle and Cubist art.
As part of his exhibition strategy, Kuba focused on presenting 19th-century art, politically engaged art of the time, works by regional artists, and figures representing Czech modern art.
Throughout his directorship, he was passionately committed to securing a dedicated gallery building or at least ensuring a dignified permanent space. Though he was unable to achieve the construction of a new gallery, he did manage to acquire two significant buildings for the institution: the historic Masné krámy (Meat Market Hall) and a former bourgeois house at 16 Pražská Street.
During his leadership, the gallery also began hosting accompanying exhibitions for the Pilsen Interdisciplinary Symposia on 19th-century Art and Culture, which were first held in 1981.
Oldřich Kuba remained director until 1985, after which he continued his career as a collections inspector at the National Gallery in Prague under the leadership of Jiří Kotalík.
