Exhibition: The Vltava River - Three Stories

Visitors to the exhibition can get acquainted with the works of three distinctive artists - František Řežáb, Joan Brehms and Michal Tůma, who pay tribute to the longest Czech river in their paintings and photographs. The exhibition offers three different, yet interconnected artistic interpretations of the river as a landscape, cultural and personal phenomenon.

The unique exhibition project presents the works of three artists:
František Řežáb (1907 - 1999)
The exhibited ensemble Vltava, inspired by the symphonic poem of the same name by Bedřich Smetana, was created by Řežáb in the early 1970s. His pastels are a visual tribute to the river and its landscape.

Joan Brehms (1907 - 1995)
The theatre architect, set designer and painter made a significant contribution to the cultural life of Český Krumlov as the author of the revolving auditorium in the castle garden. his painting trace bears a distinct trace of scenographic stylization and dramatic expression. The exhibition presents the Jaroslavice cycle from the 1960s, dedicated to the now flooded village near Hluboká nad Vltavou, where the author owned a cottage. His tempera paintings stand out for their artistic stylization and melancholic undertone.

Michal Tůma (born 1947)
The České Budějovice photographer has long been dedicated to documenting the city of Český Krumlov and its transformations. The exhibition includes a collection of photographs Český Krumlov and the River from the cycle City at the Turn of the Century. Tůma captures not only the architectural beauty of the city, but also the inconspicuous presence of the river, which connects it with the past and the present. His work brings visual poetry to everyday life and the relationship of man to a given place.

The exhibition connects three distinctive artistic approaches - drawing, painting and photography. Each of the authors brings their own unique perspective on the Vltava as a silent witness to the changes in the landscape and human lives. But they are united above all by a deep and personal relationship to the South Bohemian landscape and river. Whether they depict it as a stream of memory, a vanished place or a part of urban life. Their works show the Vltava not only as a geographical and hydrological element, but also as a strong cultural symbol.

The exhibition is part of the broader cultural project Vltava Famous & Navigable. Its accompanying activities also include the Vltava Relay - a ceremonial transfer of Vltava water in a specially prepared container from the source of the Vltava to Prague Castle, where the exhibition of the same name will take place from September 4. One of the relay stops is Český Krumlov Castle. From July 18 to July 20, water from the source of the Vltava will be exhibited in the premises of Máselnice, where the river will symbolically connect with the exhibited works.