Jana Farská Hájková

Cold War Dialogues: Karel Nepraš and Czechoslovak Modern Art on the European Stage in the 1960s

This study analyses the international exhibition history of Karel Nepraš between 1960 and 1970 as a model case of the presentation of Czechoslovak modern art abroad during the Cold War. Drawing on archival research conducted in European museums, gallery archives, period newspapers and journals, and exhibition catalogues, it traces the exhibition history of the sculpture Great Dialogue (1966), which became one of the most frequently exhibited works of Czechoslovak sculpture abroad during the second half of the 1960s.

The article demonstrates that the exceptional frequency with which Nepraš’s works were exhibited internationally was closely linked to changes in Czechoslovak cultural policy after 1964, the expansion of international cultural exchange, and efforts to present contemporary Czechoslovak art to foreign audiences on a broader scale than had previously been envisaged. An analysis of exhibitions in Paris, Berlin, Turin, The Hague, Antwerp, and other European centres shows that Czechoslovak modern art formed part of an intensive international exhibition network during the 1960s and generated lively critical discussion. Contemporary reception was by no means uniformly positive or negative: alongside recognition of the quality of contemporary Czechoslovak art, critical voices also emerged, reflecting on its position within the context of a divided Europe.

The case of Karel Nepraš also calls into question the widespread assumption that the official cultural diplomacy of socialist Czechoslovakia presented primarily Socialist Realism or the applied arts in the West. On the contrary, archival sources demonstrate the systematic support extended to contemporary modern art, which, through official exhibition structures, became integrated into the European art world. The study thus highlights the need to devote greater attention to the international exhibitions of the 1960s as a significant phenomenon in Czechoslovak cultural history and suggests that this period represented an exceptional opportunity for the integration of Czechoslovak modern art into the broader European artistic context.

Author's email:

jana.farskahajkova01@upol.cz

DOI: https://doi.org/10.54759/ART-2026-0204



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