12. 09. 2026 - 15. 12. 2026
Lidice Art Collection – Lidická sbírka umění / Lidice
Kars Gallery, in collaboration with the Lidice Art Collection, presents an exhibition titled Celebration of Life.
The exhibition brings together a selection of artworks from the Lidice Art Collection, one of the Czech Republic's most significant international public collections. It was formed entirely through the generosity of donors and stands as a long-term international expression of solidarity that began in the shadow of one of the worst Nazi crimes of the Second World War. Together with the collections in Skopje and Sarajevo, it is one of the few solidarity collections in Europe.
The idea of creating an art collection for Lidice was first discussed in 1962 by Sir Barnett Stross (1899–1967) and Marie Janošová (1920–1998), a surviving Lidice Woman who also served as its mayor between 1960 and 1989. In 1966, Stross invited artists to donate works in memory of the village's victims and to celebrate the return of life to Lidice. Czech artists who responded included Vladimír Jarcovják, Jitka and Květa Válová, Karel Váca, Eva Kmentová, and Olbram Zoubek. International artists included Gerhard Richter, Sigmar Polke, and Joseph Beuys. These and other artists were secured over the years by the Berlin gallerist and donor René Block.
The Lidice Art Collection today comprises 610 works and continues to grow. It stands as an example of strengthened solidarity in contemporary art, memory, and society. At a time when society often slides toward superficiality and cynicism amid a constant flow of information, manipulation, and scrolling that can lead to an overload of facts and numbness toward evil, these works remind us that even in the most difficult moments, there is room for hope and human dignity.
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