MORE THAN ONE VARIANT
The Municipal Picture Gallery is part of the Municipal Gallery Litomyšl and is located within the premises of the Litomyšl Castle. Its exhibition spaces are dedicated to the presentation of visual art from the 19th century to the present day. The new exhibition, entitled VARIANT JE VÍCE (More than one Variant), explores the transformations of portraiture across a broad time span from the 19th century to the present, tracing its changing functions, meanings, and formal strategies.
HISTORY IN DIALOGUE WITH THE PRESENT
2026 marks the celebration of the centenary of the foundation of the Town Picture Gallery. During its existence, it has experienced ups and downs caused by historical events. The recent sensitive revitalization of the Town Picture Gallery has organically connected the historical core of the castle with contemporary architecture, thus creating a sophisticated space within which people can interact with art. This is the third time that this idea of a symbiosis of history and the present has been reflected in the curatorial concept of the exhibition project in the picture gallery, where classic works from the gallery collection are complemented by contemporary work.
FROM LIKENESS TO ANTI-PORTRAIT
The exhibition MORE THEN ONE VARIANT opens a dialogue between the old and the new as regards the subject of portraiture. 19th-century portraits from the gallery’s collection by Viktor Barvitius, Antonín Dvořák, Leopold Ferber and others are confronted with contemporary approaches to depicting the human face, or character. The artwork from the collection documents the phenomenon of portrait painting, which changed significantly during the 19th century – it became established in wider social strata where even among the bourgeoisie the concept of representation and confirmation of one’s own identity through a portrait became common.
The contemporary portrait is represented in the exhibition by the work of Krištof Kintera, Natalie Perkof, Kateřina Šedá, Milena Dopitová, Alžběta Skálová and Jana Farmanová. The more classic form of intimate aquarelles contrasts with multimedia expressions, often crossing the border defining traditional portrait painting towards anti-portrait. Anonymous silhouettes and stylized faces appear, commenting on themselves personally and on anyone who views them. Here one can find a certain type of “social portrait”, which explores the identity of a person, along with a “scientifically” based collective portrait of the Czech nation characterized by its bad habits.
SEARCHING FOR HUMAN IDENTITY
Although today the authentic identity of an individual is often obscured by the filters of social media and the sterile perfection of artificial intelligence, the aim of the exhibition is to turn attention back to the person as a unique object worthy of artistic attention. Their portrait – whether it captures their physical or mental form – is interpreted through a visual language different from the artistic language of the 19th century, where the primary aim was to capture the appearance of the person portrayed together with their social status.
Duration of the exhibition:
2. 6. – 30. 9. 2026
Venue:
MUNICIPAL PICTURE GALLERY
State Chateau Litomyšl (2nd floor)
Jiráskova 93, Litomyšl
Opening hours:
June-August / Tue-Sun 10.00-12.00, 13.00-17.00
September / Tue-Sun 10.00-12.00, 13.00-16.00
Curators of the exhibition:
Jana Kosková, Martina Zuzaňáková
Organizer of the exhibition:
Litomyšl City Gallery
The exhibition is a part of the Smetana Art Litomyšl 2026 project. The project is under the auspices of Ing. Roman Línek, MBA, Councillor of the Pardubice Region. The project was made possible thanks to the kind financial support of Veronika and Libor Winkler, the Ministry of Culture of the Czech Republic, the Pardubice Region and the town of Litomyšl.
ABOUT THE TOWN PICTURE GALLERY IN LITOMYŠL
The Municipal Picture Gallery is a space where the genius loci of the Litomyšl Castle is combined with contemporary architecture and art. Here, the old meets the new in a peaceful dialogue, and this simple idea of merging the past and the present forms the basis of both the architectural renovation of the interior, undertaken by the MAAUS studio, and the curatorial concept behind which the Litomyšl Municipal Gallery stands.
The City Picture Gallery is a space in which art is seen as an experience taking place in a specific time, situation and relationship between the work and the viewer. The exhibition projects are created with an emphasis on context, continuity and dialogue between historical and contemporary artistic approaches, offering visitors the opportunity to enter a space that allows for slowing down, concentration and a deeper understanding of visual forms and their meanings.
