Prague for art lovers

Prague is a city full of artists. Although not as well known for its art scene as Paris or London, art lovers who are international students here for a study abroad program will find a vibrant scene for local art. In addition to the more well-known museums and galleries, like the National Gallery, our city features hundreds of cosy art spaces waiting to be discovered. Here are our picks for some of the lesser known places to visit.

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The contemporary art museum is perfect for newcomers to Prague as well as art lovers. It’s the largest privately owned art, architecture and design center in the Czech Republic and features wonderful and thought-provoking exhibits, some focused on famous Czech personalities, others on abstract global topics. Past exhibitions include a look at the life of Vaclav Havel, a Czech writer who became the first president of the Czech Republic in 1993, and Big Bang Data, an examination of all the ways Big Data is impacting our lives. If you’re a student, it’s a great place to learn more about the Czech Republic.

Galerie 35M2

If you’re interested in seeing what students and emerging artists are working on, this is the place. Curators Michal Pěchouček and Petra Steinerová like to feature students and recent graduates of art schools who aren’t as well known, and they focus on painting and photography as well as art installations. The gallery gets its name from its layout–two adjacent rooms on the ground floor of an old Zizkov building. You can enter through Cafe Pavlac, one of their sponsors and a perfect place to grab a glass of wine and some pasta after a viewing.

Museum Kampa

Opened in 2003, Museum Kampa is a great place to stop by for an authentic look at Central and Eastern European modern art. Located on the eastern bank of Kampa Island on the Vltava River, the pieces are from the collection of Meda Mládková. In the 1960s, Meda and her husband began collecting paintings, sculptures, drawings and prints from artists in countries like Poland, Hungary and Yugoslavia as well as the Czech Republic. In addition to an amazing permanent collection, the gallery regularly features exhibitions on Czech and European artists. If you’re having problems finding the gallery just look for the row of yellow penguin statues or the Magdalena Jetelová chair sculpture on the river.

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