The origins of the Humpolec private collection of 20th- and 21st-century Czech art, established by Mr. and Mrs. Rýzner, date back to the mid-1990s.

The annual exhibition The Factory for Beauty, which follows on from the previous exhibition chapters Prologue and Intermezzo, presents works selected subjectively by the collectors—that is, artworks with which they have a strong personal connection. These may be works chosen by immediate family members, connected to friendships, the local region and landscape, or to a compelling story; they may also be works that, even after thirty years, evoke the same powerful emotions as when first encountered.

The art space 8smička, located behind the walls of a former textile factory, has truly transformed into a “factory of beauty” thanks to its collection and dozens of exhibitions over the past eight years. The exhibition’s title, however, is a paraphrase of the title of Karel Čapek’s novel The Absolute at Large (The Factory for the Absolute) and recalls not only the Čapek brothers’ collaboration in the fields of literature and the visual arts, but also their important role in the creation of the collection. The Čapek brothers are among the figures who awakened a deeper interest in culture in Zdeněk Rýzner and shaped his relationship to art.

The “Čapek-esque” interweaving of image and word is also reflected in the exhibition itself. In addition to works of art, the exhibition’s final section features literary stories created by eight prominent Czech writers—both men and women—who were invited to participate and who have a close connection to the visual arts. Drawing inspiration from works they selected from the collection, they created their own original texts, which are presented in the exhibition via an audio track. Here, the paintings serve as a catalyst for the written word, and the word opens up new ways of interpreting the artworks on multiple levels. The Factory for Beauty thus becomes an island of tranquility, rest, and immersion in colors, shapes, words, and creative vision.

Artists: Jiří Balcar, Jiří Bašta, Pavel Büchler, Václav Boštík, Josef Čapek, Hugo Demartini, Alén Diviš, Stanislav Diviš, Emil Filla, Milan Grygar, Klára Hosnedlová, Dalibor Chatrný, Jiří John, Čestmír Kafka, Olga Karlíková, Milan Knížák, Stanislav Kolíbal, Radoslav Kratina, Jan Křížek, Bohumil Kubišta, František Kupka, KW, Mikuláš Medek, Jan Merta, František Muzika, Karel Nepraš, Pavel Nešleha, Jaromír Novotný, František Pacík, Ludmila Padrtová, Theodor Pištěk, Naděžda Plíšková, Bohuslav Reynek, Zorka Ságlová, Zbyněk Sekal, Zdeněk Sklenář, Vladimír Skrepl, Jiří Sopko, Zdeněk Sýkora, Josef Šíma, Jindřich Štyrský, Antonín Tomalík, Toyen, Petr Veselý, Jan Zrzavý

Authors of literary works: Petr Borkovec, Ondřej Buddeus, Miloš Doležal, Emma Kausc, Vratislav Maňák, Milena Slavická, Silvie Šeborová, Kateřina Tučková

Buses for the exhibition opening:

Prague – Humpolec – Prague: departure at 4:30 PM

boarding location: on the main thoroughfare across from the Main Train Station building (Wilsonova St.), Prague 2, N 50°4.99182′, E 14°26.07312′

Brno – Humpolec – Brno: departure at 4:30 PM

boarding location: bus station near the Grand Hotel, N 49°11.59092′, E 16°36.85992′

The return buses from Humpolec are scheduled to depart at 9:30 PM. Tickets can be purchased on GoOut.