The Polná City Museum and the Institute of Art History of the Czech Academy of Sciences present a small-scale exhibition dedicated to the distinguished local native Rudolf Gilbert (1896–1984). This is the very first solo exhibition commemorating this extraordinary figure in his hometown.

The exhibition showcases Gilbert as a chemist, a professor at the State School of Graphic Arts in Prague, a reproduction photographer, an expert in printing, a philatelist, and a versatile collector who donated dozens of historical artifacts to the Polná Museum. 

The small exhibition is divided into two parts: the first traces his life, teaching career, scientific work, and collecting activities, while the second focuses on his interest in the history of reproduction techniques. The core of this second section consists of a set of seven large-format panels showcasing 19th-century photographic and other reproduction techniques, which Gilbert compiled for teaching purposes at the graphic arts school and which have been completely restored over the past two years at the Institute of Art History of the Czech Academy of Sciences. 

A publication of the same name, produced by Artefactum Publishing, accompanies the exhibition; it summarizes the results of research conducted as part of the project “The Oldest Photographs at the Polná Municipal Museum,” which was supported from 2024–2026 as part of the Regional Cooperation program between the Czech Academy of Sciences and the Vysočina Region.