ABOUT THE PROJECT
THE TOWN AS A GALLERY
Smetana Art Litomyšl transforms Litomyšl into a vibrant gallery where music meets visual art.
The project, which runs from June to September, is prepared by the Litomyšl Municipal Gallery in cooperation with galleries and cultural institutions located in the town and its immediate surroundings. Thanks to this cooperation, an exceptionally varied show of exhibition projects is created every year, focusing both on the presentation of older art and the work of contemporary Czech and foreign artists.
ATTENTION, SILENCE AND INNER RESPONSE
Municipal Gallery Litomyšl has been sponsoring the Smetana Art Litomysl for the seventh year. In the curatorial concept behind the central exhibitions of this year’s edition, art is seen as an “experience” that takes place in a specific time and relationship. The gallery’s intention is not to dazzle or shock viewers, but to offer moments in which to pause – outside the daily rhythms of production and consumption – and enter into concentrated contact with the artwork. Exhibitions There are more variants, Jaroslav Róna – Silence and Myths, Gerhard Flekatsch – Resonance, Out of Ostrale or Natura thus do not create a spectacular whole, but rather a network of situations that work with attention, silence and the possibility of inner response.
EXHIBITIONS OF THE SMETANA ART LITOMYŠL
In addition to the main exhibition projects, visitors to Smetana Art Litomyšl can see other attractive shows spread across the city and its institutions. The Town Picture Gallery also offers a glimpse into the world of book culture through the exhibition The Most Beautiful Czech Books of 2025. The gallery at Milovská hut offers a projectVitrum et natura, which connects glass art with the landscape of the Highlands through the works of Miluše and René Roubíček and other important studio glassmakers from the region. The exhibition is repeatedly presented in Litomyšl MenART – On the Road 2026, which captures the results of a year-long collaboration between young talents, their teachers and leading Czech artists. For this season, the Zdeněk Sklenář Gallery has prepared an exhibition dedicated to Václav Boštík, an important painter associated with Litomyšl. V Portmoneum – Josef Váchal MuseumMuseum and Museum of Váchalov, an exhibition dedicated to the versatile Litomysl artist Antonín Píč can be found. Miroslav Kubík Gallery has prepared a retrospective exhibition Jan Švankmajer – Reliquaries and Fetishes, which presents the author’s work in its entirety. Patrik Hábl will present an exhibition at the White GalleryBehind the Painting. Two projects will be on display at the Nové Hrady Castle – Míla Fürstová – Tenderness in natura and Veronika Bílková – Bohuslav Martinů. Pakosta Gallery will present a project by Simona Blahutová Solitudine Contemporanea, which reflects on issues of freedom, media reality and the changing image of the contemporary world.
All the events of Smetana Art Litomysl 2026 can be found at www.vytvarnalitomysl.cz.
