Christianity has historically been an important source of inspiration and initiator of artworks. Sacred art encompassed all artistic disciplines and represented the main currents of thought of the time. The advent of the communist regime after the Second World War led, among other things, to the complete suppression of Christian churches and with it, artistic expressions with spiritual content. Nevertheless, and despite this period, sacred realisations of a high artistic and theological level were created, which are the focus of this exhibition project. It will selectively present works from the sacred spaces of Christian churches, which will show how modern artistic approaches penetrated church interiors, for example in the works of Ludvík Kolk, Mikuláš Medek, Otmar Oliva, Miroslav Rada, Miloslav Troup, Vojmir Vokolk and others.

The theme in the history of Czech visual art, which has so far been only partially treated, will introduce visitors to realisations from various artistic fields, which are often still part of liturgical spaces today. These "living" works can only rarely be taken out and brought into exhibition halls, so they will be represented in the exhibition by preparatory drawings, architectural plans, designs and photographs. Examples of realized and unrealized architectural projects of new buildings and modifications of churches by architects Jaroslav Čermák, Tomáš Černoušek, Jan Sokol, Lubomír Šlapeta will also be presented. Apart from the domestic scene, the exhibition will also focus on Czech artists working abroad at the time, such as Zbyněk Sekal, Jan Koblasa, Josef Šíma, Otto Herbert Hajek, etc.

In cooperation with the Institute for the Study of Totalitarian Regimes, the exhibition will be accompanied by a catalogue with a rich photographic accompaniment including selected artistic and architectural realisations.

Authors: Šárka Belšíková, Ivo Binder
Collaboration: Michal Sklenář, The Institute for the Study of Totalitarian Regimes

Museum of Art Olomouc — Museum of Modern Art