Credits US/ECTS

3/6

Level

Bachelors

Length

15 weeks

Pre-requisite

None

Contact hours

42 hours

Grading

Letter[Kg1] 

Date

Class Agenda

Session 1

February 4

Topic: Introduction to the course; Syllabus review

Excursion – National Gallery, 1796⁠–⁠1918: Art of the Long Century - Men of 19th century / Trade Fair Palace

Description: The exhibition 1796⁠–⁠1918: Art of the Long Century purposefully and naturally connects Czech and international art. The exhibition shows what the National Gallery Prague has amassed in the course of its more than 220-year-long history in the broad context.

Reading: Lahoda Vojtěch - Uhrová Olga, Vincenc Kramář : from the old masters to Picasso : National Gallery in Prague, Collection of Modern and Contemporary art, Prague : National Gallery in Prague 2000

Assignments/deadlines:

Session 2

February 11

Topic: Lecture – Fauvism and Expressionism / Excursion – National Gallery, 1796⁠–⁠1918: Art of the Long Century – World of 19^th century; Ideas of  19^th century / Trade Fair Palace

Description: The exhibition shows more than 450 artworks by 150 artists in three major chapters: Man, The World and Ideas. The exhibition presents painting as well as sculpture. Free sculpture is accompanied by paintings. Public sculpture forms a separate section paraphrasing three basic themes in the sections of Architecture, Monument and Tombstone with respect to a selected approach and availability of the exhibits.

Reading: Veronika Hulíková, Otto M. Urban, Filip Wittlich: Art of the long Century, Národní galerie Praha, 1796–1918, 978-80-7035-729-3

Assignments/deadlines:

Session 3

February 18

Topic: Lecture - French and Czech Cubism / Excursion - The House at the Black Madonna

Description: The Museum of Decorative Arts in Prague’s permanent Czech Cubism exhibition presents it as a style that extends across fine art, applied art and architecture. 

Reading: Lucie Vlčková: CZECH CUBISM. A GUIDE TO THE PERMANENT EXHIBITION, UPM

Assignments/deadlines:

Session 4

February 25

Topic: Lecture - Futurism, Rayonism, Lucism / Excursion – Prague City Gallery - The Double

Description: From ancient myths to digital avatars, the fascination with the double—our mirror image, alter ego, or protector—has endured. The exhibition traces this theme through art, literature, and psychology, featuring works by Bohumil Kubišta, Jan Zrzavý, Andy Warhol, Milena Dopitová, and Petra Oriešková. Step into worlds where people confront themselves—sometimes with fear, sometimes with relief.

Reading: Alena Pomajzlová: Růžena – Story of the painter Růžena Zátková, Arbor vitae, 2011; The Double – Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoevsky

Assignments/deadlines:

Session 5

March 4

Topic: Lecture – Dadaism and Surrealism / Excursion - DOX Joel-Peter Witkin: Broken World

Description: For over five decades, Joel-Peter Witkin has redefined photography, merging it with painting and theatre. His recent works (2010–2025) synthesize this vision, exploring vanitas, metamorphosis, and the tension between the sacred and the profane. Through interventions in negatives, collage, and tone, he transforms the act of seeing into a slow, contemplative experience. The exhibition Broken World presents both monumental compositions and intimate drawings that reveal his disciplined process and lasting impact on how we perceive the body, memory, and the image itself.

Reading: André Breton, Manifesto of Surrealism, 1924; Lucie Vlčková: Czech Cubism: A Guide to the Permanent Exhibition of the Museum of Decorative Arts in Prague, Museum of Decorative Arts in Prague, 2015

Assignments/deadlines:

Session 6

March 11

Topic: František Kupka and the birth of abstraction / Excursion – National Gallery, 1918⁠–⁠1938: First Czechoslovak Republic – Part I

Description: The permanent exhibition on the third floor of the Trade Fair Palace was created on the occasion of the hundredth anniversary of the founding of Czechoslovakia. Based on the collections of the National Gallery Prague, complemented with loans from institutions and private collections, the exhibition introduces the rich and cosmopolitan art scene in the young independent Czechoslovakia between 1918 and 1938.

Reading: Musilová Helena (ed.): František Kupka : the road to Amorpha : Kupka’s salons 1899-1913 : [The National Gallery in Prague - The Collection of Modern and Contemporary Art, Salm Palace, November 30, 2012 - March 3, 2013], Prague : National Gallery 2012

Assignments/deadlines: Submission of the topic in the form of a title and a short annotation for the final paper, which must be approved to earn credit. If the topic is not approved, it must be revised without delay.

Session 7

March 18

Topic: Devětsil and the interwar avant-garde / Excursion - The Museum of Decorative Arts – ART, LIFE

Description: ART, LIFE - The permanent exhibition of the Museum of Decorative Arts in Prague aims to present a vibrant, multi-dimensional image of European applied arts from the Middle Ages to the 21st century.

Reading: : Meghan Forbes: Devětsil and Dada: A Poetics of Play in the Interwar Czech Avant-Garde, ARTMargins (2020) 9 (3): p. 7–28.

Reading: Meghan Forbes: Devětsil and Dada: A Poetics of Play in the Interwar Czech Avant-Garde, ARTMargins (2020) 9 (3): p. 7–28.

Assignments/deadlines:

Session 8

March 25

Topic: Jindřich Štyrský and Toyen / Excursion – National Gallery, 1918⁠–⁠1938: First Czechoslovak Republic – Part II, 1918⁠–⁠1938: First Czechoslovak Republic

Description: The exhibition presents the art of the first republic through the eyes of a 1920s and 1930s art goer and introduces prominent galleries, art clubs and institutions, as well as the important cultural centers of the young state.

Reading: Anna Pravdová, Annie Le Brun, Annabelle Görgen-Lammers (eds.) The Dreaming Rebel: TOYEN (1902–1980), Národní galerie Praha 2022

Assignments/deadlines:

March 30 -April 6

Mid-term break

Session 9

April 8

Topic: Fine art in the Prague metro / Excursion – Visit to the current exhibition at the Rudolfinum Gallery

Description: As a non-collecting institution (kunsthalle), Galerie Rudolfinum focuses on presenting contemporary international and Czech art. Its goal is to create an open space for dialogue through exhibitions, publications, educational programs, lectures, and performances. The Artpark education center complements the exhibitions, aiming to bring contemporary art closer to both young audiences and adults.

Reading: Marianne Strom: Metro Art in the Metropolis, Art Creation Realisation 1994

Assignments/deadlines:

Session 10

April 15

Topic: Informel, Abstract expressionism, Pop art, Minimalism / Excursion –1939–2021: The End of the Black-and-White Era, Trade Fair Palace

Description: The End of the Black-and-White Era is not a full overview of 1939–2021, but a slogan expressing an effort to avoid ideological judgments of this complex time. The exhibition shows that art has always included parallel ideas of quality. Official and unofficial, abstract and figurative, formal and socially engaged approaches coexisted and influenced one another. Over 300 works from the NGP collection present art as a reflection of its social, political, and economic context, aiming not to rank the best, but to understand why and how art was created.

Reading: Michal Novotný (ed.). End of the Black & White Era 1939-2021, Národní galerie Praha, 2023

Assignments/deadlines:

Session 11

April 22

Topic: Viennese Actionism, Body art, Land art / Excursion – 1956–1989: Architecture for All, Trade Fair Palace

Description: The exhibition focuses on architecture and lifestyle between 1956 and 1989. Lifestyle is a phenomenon in which every day experiences and experiences intersect with architecture and design as creative disciplines. Against the backdrop of modernity, characterized by the transition to a post-industrial society, the growth of the tertiary sector, services, and significant advances in (tele)communication and audiovisual media, the specific Czech situation appears as a special case study with different aspects of political developments during the Cold War. The aim of the exhibition is to overcome the binary view of East vs. West, artificially maintained ever since the fall of the Iron Curtain thirty years ago, and to make it comprehensible in a European context. 

Reading: Helena Huber-Doudová (ed.): Architecture for All 1956–1989, National Gallery Prague, 2023

Assignments/deadlines:

Session 12

April 29

Topic: Final presentations

Description:

Reading:

Assignments/deadlines: Submission of the final paper

Session 13

May 6

Topic: Final presentations

Description:

Reading:

Assignments/deadlines:

Session 14

May 13

Topic: Final test

Description:

Reading:

Assignments/deadlines:

Assignment

Workload (hours)

Weight in Final Grade

Evaluated Course Specific Learning Outcomes

Evaluated Institutional Learning Outcomes*[Kg3] 

Class Participation

30

15%

Active participation in class discussions showing knowledge of the topics relevant to the class.

The student demonstrates critical thinking, effective communication, and information literacy through active and informed participation in class discussions.

Class Presentation

30

15%

Presentation skills, ability to explain the studied topic to peers, identify key issues, subject knowledge.

The student shows the ability to interpret course content, articulate ideas clearly, and work with appropriate sources by presenting a coherent and well-supported argument.

Mid-term

25

25%

The student identifies a relevant research problem, articulates a focused guiding question, and situates the proposed topic within the thematic and historical frameworks of the course.

The student demonstrates analytical insight, clarity of expression, and effective use of sources by developing a well-defined and academically grounded topic proposal for the mid-term final paper.

Final paper

15

15%

The student develops a well-supported argument, applies appropriate methodological approaches, and demonstrates a nuanced understanding of the course’s artistic and historical contexts.

The student demonstrates independent analytical thinking, clear academic writing, and competent research skills by producing a well-argued and thoroughly documented final paper.

Final exam

50

30[Kg4] %

The student synthesizes key concepts from the course, accurately interprets artworks and historical contexts, and applies relevant analytical frameworks to demonstrate comprehensive understanding.

The student demonstrates comprehensive understanding, logical reasoning, and the ability to synthesize course materials by successfully completing the final exam.

TOTAL

15[Kg5] 0

100%

Assessed area

Percentage

Knowledge and understanding of the topic

40%

Ability to think independently and afresh in regard to a topic at hand

20%

Structure and organization of presentation

20%

Delivery of presentation (visual effectiveness, clarity, impact, etc.)

20%