The GHMP exhibition shows how to save unique mosaics

GHMP

Prague - The Gallery of the Capital City of Prague and the Institute of Theoretical and Applied Mechanics of the Czech Academy of Sciences (AV) opened an exhibition in cell number 17 on the Vltava embankment in Prague's Smíchov with a unique theme. They investigate how to save large mosaic works from the 20th century from buildings threatened with demolition. One of them is the unique work by sisters Jitka and Květa Válová, Orchids, located in Prague's Michle. The exhibition Losses and Finds is related to a three-year research project, the city gallery stated.

Orchids were long considered lost until researcher Ondřej Surový and his colleagues discovered them behind the kitchen wall of the former research institute of automation in Prague 4 a few years ago.

The owner, who wants to replace the entire building with another structure, promised to donate the work to Prague and its gallery. However, the question arose of where to find a space measuring 3.5 by 5.5 meters and how to transfer the 1977 artwork without damage. It is a unique piece; the Vál sisters mostly painted and drew in their Kladno house. The mosaic was signed by both Jitka and Květa.

The exhibition showcases more mosaic works, especially from the 20th century. They will undergo material, restoration, and art-historical research. This is part of a three-year rescue project of the gallery and the AV's mechanical institute. It is also about popularizing 20th-century mosaic works, which are being reinstalled in the public space of Prague.

One such work is the circular mosaic Development of Thinking, created by author Martin Sladký in 1973 by gluing split glass enamel and finishing it with an ancient technique. The three-meter diameter mosaic is located on the ceiling of a circular lecture hall in the campus of the Ostrava University of Technology.

According to the authors of the exhibition, it is also necessary to deal with the existing stigma regarding some mosaics, being labeled as communist art. "Therefore, their proper maintenance or assessment of their artistic quality, which is often very high even in a European context, has not been given much consideration so far," the gallery stated.

The exhibition began on Thursday and can be seen in cell number 17 on Hořejší embankment until Sunday, July 27. It is open from Tuesday to Sunday between 14:00 and 19:00, and admission is free.