The Robert Guttmann Gallery

U Staré školy 3, Prague 1

Apart from a brief period between 1945 and 1948, the Jewish Museum has never (up until now) had its own exhibition venue for the presentation of temporary exhibitions of a thematic nature. As a result, the Museum was not previously able to feature the results of its research and restoration work or to provide the public with ongoing displays of its collections. Until now the winter prayer hall on the upper floor of the Spanish Synagogue has been used for this purpose, but it is difficult to control the temperature and humidity of this room, thus making it unsuitable for the display of more sensitive materials (a permanent exhibition of synagogue silver is currently being prepared here).

The Robert Guttmann Gallery The newly opened venue covers an area of 80 square metres and meets all the requirements of a modern gallery. It is located on the ground floor in the north-east section of the new Jewish Museum complex. The use of high-quality adjustable window shades and a double-door entrance makes it possible to fully control the temperature and humidity of the room, thus creating ideal conditions for the display of even the most sensitive of materials (parchments, old printed books, historic textiles). The use of quality low-energy lighting and the possibility of regulating the intensity and angle of light make it possible to display historic materials that are extremely sensitive to light. The continuous projecting course at the top of the wall is fitted with safety sensors, thus making for a safe and aesthetic display of pictures.
The opening of a new gallery for temporary exhibitions has been a long-awaited event. In view of the fact that the Museum’s art collection has boasted the most significant acquisitions in the past decade, the new gallery will be a venue primarily for the display of artwork from this collection, which has previously been shown only to a very limited extent. The exhibitions will focus mainly on Czech Jewish artists from the late 19th and early 20th centuries, although it is also our intention to feature post-war and contemporary modern art.
The gallery is named after the well-known Prague naive painter Robert Guttmann, whose work is featured in the first exhibition. In this way it hopes to bring this artist to public attention and to promote young artists in their search for originality of artistic expression. There will also be exhibitions of historic works that highlight the contribution of Jewish artists to various areas of Czech culture. The gallery will hold four to five exhibitions each year. For the next few years we have already planned to showcase the work of a number of Czech Jewish artists, including Emil Orlik , Alfred Justitz, Jiří Kars, Bedřich Feigl and a host of less well-known names.
Planned exhibitions for 2001 and 2002 in the Robert Guttmann Gallery:

Opening hours - every day except Saturdays and Jewish holidays:
summer time: 9 a.m. - 6 p.m.
winter time: 9 a.m. - 4.30 p.m.

Admission CZK 40.-, students CZK 20.-