Kunsthalle Prague received from the Knížák choirs of artists from the Fluxus movement
The new emerging building and art institution Kunsthalle Prague received a collection by Marie and Milan Knížáková focused on the international Fluxus movement. It was founded in the early 1960s, and today the 81-year-old Knížák, the post-revolutionary director of the Prague National Gallery, was a member at the time.
Fluxus follows the legacy of the artist Marcel Duchamp and the work of the composer John Cage. Its members focused on so-called intermedia overlaps and combined visual arts with experimental music, theater and poetry.
“This is an extraordinary event for the Kunsthalle Prague collection, as it places us among the few centers in the world that emphasize this strong and very important period of art history of the second half of the 20th century in their collections and archives,” says Štefan Tóth, collection manager. Kunsthalle Prague.
Knížák’s collection consists of approximately 700 items. These are mainly art objects and documents that the couple acquired through intensive contacts with other members of the group. The collection contains works by approximately 46 artists, including George Brecht, Robert Filliou, Dick Higgins, Alison Knowles, Yoko Ono, Nam June Paik, Benjamin Patterson, Robert Watts and La Monte Young.
The media represented include multiples, objects, drawings, but also photographs and films documenting performances. The archive also includes books devoted to the issue of the Fluxus movement, author’s publications and correspondence.
“After completing the museum registration, Kunsthalle Praha will gradually make the collection of Marie and Milan Knížák’s public and lay public available for scientific, educational and exhibition purposes,” adds Tóth from Kunsthalle Praha.
Fluxus was a network of interconnected artists in the USA, Western Europe and Japan, who, especially from the 1960s to the 1980s, communicated through mail, publications or organized happenings.
Kunsthalle Prague is being established as a new place for culture and art in Klárov, Prague. It will stand on the site of the former Zenger transformer station, now its reconstruction is culminating. The aim is to create an environment for exhibitions, educational activities and cultural events.
Kunsthalle Prague, as a non-profit organization, founded The Pudil Family Foundation, which is a family foundation of businessman Petr Pudil and his wife Pavlína. It will open to the public on February 22, 2022. The first architectural walks are already being produced in August this year thanks to the Open House Prague festival.