The Gallery of Modern Art in Roudnice nad Labem has been located since 1965 in the former riding hall of the Lobkowicz Castle in Roudnice nad Labem, which was built in the last quarter of the 17th century by the Italian architect Antonio Porta. The vaulted interior of the building, lit by side windows, created an impressive setting for the gallery's permanent collection. The set of 60 paintings by Antonín Slavíček, which was part of a collection of over 200 works of art, can be considered its "family silver". In 1903, the patron August Švagrovský met the painter of European importance and founder of modern Czech art. The enlightened collector created a fine art collection, the core of which is a collection of paintings from the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries. In addition to Antonín Slavíček, the painter Miloš Jiránek, the author of an exceptional portrait of August Švagrovský, and Antonín Hudeček are also represented.

August Švagrovský bequeathed his collection to the town of Roudnice n. L. in 1910. He thus founded the third oldest gallery in our territory. The collection formed the basis of today's collection, which contains more than 3,000 works of art from the late 19th century to the present. Švagrovský's legacy was continued in the 1960s by the art historian and the first director of the gallery, Miloš Saxl, who, after a difficult period when the collection had no dignified location, was instrumental in obtaining and opening a new building. The reconstruction of the former riding hall by the architect Mošťák has given the historic space a new, modernist spirit that is in keeping with the character of the permanent exhibition. The entrance part concentrates selected works from Švagrovský's collection, among which dominates a collection of small studies by Antonín Slavíček, who presents himself here as a brilliant interpreter of the soul of the emerging big city with its bustle and anonymous crowd, as well as the soul of the countryside with its dramatic changes in weather and its connection with the uneasy fate of people.

The generous approach is interspersed with glimpses into other periods in the development of modern art, in which different artistic movements and tendencies, from Expressionism and Cubism to Surrealism, alternated in dynamic succession. As the first creator of a permanent exhibition, Miloš Saxl has focused here on the leading personalities of individual tendencies or group movements as well as interesting solitary artists. He then followed this line with current collections of art from the 1960s, in which he was able to recognize timeless values. The core of the exhibition is thus made up, for example, of exceptional works by Emil Filla, Jan Zrzavý, Václav Špála, František Janoušek, Václav Tikal, František Muzika, Zdeněk Sklenář, Kamil Lhoták, Mikuláš Medek, Jiří John and František Ronovský. Saxl's work was continued in his intentions by Miroslava Hlaváčková, who has led the collecting activities up to the present day.

 
 
In addition to the permanent exhibition, which undergoes occasional partial transformations so that other exceptional works hidden in the depositories can gradually be presented, the gallery also provides additional space for changing exhibitions. Since the opening of the gallery in 1965, a whole plethora of important personalities of Czech modern art has been presented here, from Jan Zrzavý to František Janoušek, Jiří John or Zdeněk Sklenář, František Muzika and Mikuláš Medek to Václav Boštík.

 
The Gallery of Modern Art does not forget about its important native and regional artists, whom it tries to place in a broader context through exhibitions and catalogues. These include, for example, the original personality of the painter Otakar Nejedlý, who became famous for a series of paintings with exotic themes created during and after his stay in Ceylon and India in 1909-1911. In addition to monographic projects, the exhibition strategy also focuses on thematic exhibitions and group exhibitions of various artistic tendencies, groups or movements of all disciplines. The exhibition programme is complemented by a spectrum of accompanying activities, including the organisation of lectures, concerts, theatre performances, literary evenings and other cultural programmes. The permanent exhibition as well as individual exhibitions are made accessible to various target groups by the gallery staff in the form of art workshops, talks with artists or thematic interpretations.