The Moravian Gallery in
Brno
Brno ( , ; german: Brünn ) is a city in the South Moravian Region of the Czech Republic. Located at the confluence of the Svitava and Svratka rivers, Brno has about 380,000 inhabitants, making it the second-largest city in the Czech Republi ...
( cs, Moravská galerie v Brně) is the second largest art museum in the
Czech Republic, established in 1961 by merging of two older institutions. It is situated in five buildings: Pražák Palace, Governor's Palace, Museum of Applied Arts, Jurkovič House and Josef Hoffmann Museum. Since 1963 the gallery has organized the International Biennial of Graphic Design Brno ( cs, Mezinárodní bienále grafického designu Brno).
Selected collection highlights
Johann Georg Platzer - Der Raub der Sabinerinnen.jpg, Johann Georg Platzer
Peter Paul Rubens - Head of Medusa (Brno).jpg, Peter Paul Rubens
Pražák Palace
The Pražák Palace contains the headquarters of the Moravian Gallery in Brno. The building was designed by
Theophil von Hansen
Baron Theophil Edvard von Hansen (; original Danish name: Theophilus Hansen ; 13 July 1813 – 17 February 1891) was a Danish architect who later became an Austrian citizen. He became particularly well known for his buildings and structures in A ...
and built for the Brno politician Alois Pražák in 1873–1874. It houses both permanent and temporary exhibitions, as well as a specialist library and study room, open to the public since 1883.
Governor's Palace
An Augustinian monastery was built on this site in the mid-14th century, but was substantially rebuilt in a Baroque style by
Moritz Grimm in the mid-18th century. Following reforms introduced by
Emperor Joseph II
Joseph II (German: Josef Benedikt Anton Michael Adam; English: ''Joseph Benedict Anthony Michael Adam''; 13 March 1741 – 20 February 1790) was Holy Roman Emperor from August 1765 and sole ruler of the Habsburg lands from November 29, 1780 un ...
, the building was converted into central offices for the local government and Governor's Estates authorities, and was used in this way until
World War I.
The Governor's Palace now houses a permanent exhibition of art from the Gothic period to the 19th century, and a 150-seat baroque hall.
Museum of Applied Arts
This building was purpose-built in 1882 to house the oldest museum of applied arts in Bohemia and Moravia, and extended six years later. After
World War II the building was reconstructed according to plans by the functionalist architect
Bohuslav Fuchs
Bohuslav Fuchs (24 March 1895 in Všechovice – 18 September 1972 in Brno) was a Czech modernist architect.
Life and career
A mason by education, Fuchs studied with Jan Kotěra at the Academy of Fine Arts in Prague between 1916 and 1919, and ...
. A restoration project was completed in 2001.
The museum houses a permanent exhibition of applied arts from the Middle Ages to the present day, including collections of glass, ceramics and porcelain, textiles, furniture and metalware, as well as a 70-seat lecture room.
Jurkovič House
The
art nouveau
Art Nouveau (; ) is an international style of art, architecture, and applied art, especially the decorative arts. The style is known by different names in different languages: in German, in Italian, in Catalan, and also known as the Modern ...
Jurkovič Villa was built in 1906, and is a key surviving example of
Dušan Jurkovič's work in the Czech Republic. It is situated at Jana Nečase 2, in woods overlooking the
Svratka River in the village of Žabovřesky, now a Brno municipality. Jurkovič's design was inspired by the
Arts and Crafts movement, combining a traditional housing style with elements of free and applied arts. The villa consists of a reception area near the entrance, a social area on the ground floor containing the architect's exhibition hall, a work space on the first floor, and private quarters on both floors.
Josef Hoffmann Museum
The childhood home of architect
Josef Hoffmann
Josef Hoffmann (15 December 1870 – 7 May 1956) was an Austrian- Moravian architect and designer. He was among the founders of Vienna Secession and co-establisher of the Wiener Werkstätte. His most famous architectural work is the Stoclet ...
is on the eastern side of the town square of
Brtnice
Brtnice (; german: Pirnitz) is a town in Jihlava District in the Vysočina Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 3,800 inhabitants. The historic town centre is well preserved and is protected by law as an urban monument zone.
Administrative ...
,
Vysočina Region
The Vysočina Region (; cs, Kraj Vysočina "Highlands Region", , ) is an administrative unit ( cs, kraj) of the Czech Republic, located partly in the south-eastern part of the historical region of Bohemia and partly in the south-west of the hist ...
. The building was created by unifying two houses after they had been damaged by a fire in 1760, and was owned by several generations of Hoffman's family, including his father who served as mayor of the town for 36 years. Hoffman refurbished the house sometime between 1907 and 1911 after his parents' death.
The house was confiscated in 1945 by the state, and later fell under the ownership of the local branch of the
Communist Party
A communist party is a political party that seeks to realize the socio-economic goals of communism. The term ''communist party'' was popularized by the title of '' The Manifesto of the Communist Party'' (1848) by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels. ...
. During this period the house fell into disrepair and the furniture was removed. After 1989 the house became municipal property and work began on its restoration, commissioned from Brno architects Hrůša & Pelčák and completed in 2003. The house is the property of the town of Brtnice, and has been under the administration of the Moravian Gallery since 1 January 2006. The Josef Hoffmann Museum is a joint branch of the Moravian Gallery and the
Museum of Applied Arts, Vienna
The MAK – Museum of Applied Arts ( German: ''Museum für angewandte Kunst'') is an arts and crafts museum located at Stubenring 5 in Vienna's 1st district Innere Stadt. Besides its traditional orientation towards arts and crafts and design, the m ...
.
References
External links
Official WebsiteMoravian Gallery in Brnowithin
Google Arts & Culture
Google Arts & Culture (formerly Google Art Project) is an online platform of high-resolution images and videos of artworks and cultural artifacts from partner cultural organizations throughout the world.
It utilizes high-resolution image technol ...
*
{{Authority control
Art museums and galleries in the Czech Republic
Museums in Brno
1961 establishments in Czechoslovakia
Art museums established in 1961