Jaroslav Čermák – European Painter from Bohemia 4. 11. 2026 – 28. 2. 2027
Team of authors and curators: Markéta Theinhardt, Viera Borozan, Kristýna Hochmuth, Šárka Leubnerová, Vít Vlnas and Markéta Vondrová; coordination: Dana Haltufová, Helena Musilová
Prague City Gallery is preparing a special exhibition of Jaroslav Čermák, which, after more than a hundred years, will present the work of this important painter in its entirety and in a truly European context. Čermák (1830–1878) was one of the most talented artists of his generation, who managed to connect the Czech experience with the international art world of the mid-19th century. He exhibited at the Paris Salons de la Société des Artistes Français, won awards in Belgium and France and his paintings found their way into collections throughout Europe.
The exhibition at the Library traces Čermák’s journey from Prague via Brussels and Paris to the Balkans and Brittany. It shows a painter who was able to use historical themes to reflect the political tensions of his time – ideals of freedom, national self-determination, and dramatic clashes of civilizations. Čermák’s work stands out for its exceptional painterly quality, psychological depth and strong sense of dramatic composition, which have earned him comparisons to the greatest masters of European historical painting.
The exhibition, prepared in collaboration with the National Gallery Prague and an external team of researchers, will present loans from the Musées royaux des Beaux-Arts de Belgique, KMSKA in Antwerp, Musée de la Vie romantique in Paris, Amsterdam Museum, Dahesh Museum of Art in New York and the National Gallery Prague. After more than one hundred and fifty years, the famous painting The Abduction of a Herzegovinian Woman, with which Čermák shone at the Paris Salon in 1861, will return to Prague.
In addition to Jaroslav Čermák’s key works, the exhibition will also feature works by his contemporaries and followers to show how intensively 19th-century Czech art was engaged in the European dialogue. Čermák’s “return to Europe” is thus not only the discovery of a nearly forgotten genius, but also an eloquent probe into a time when modern art was being born between Paris, Prague and the Balkans.