Lucie Večerníková

The Picture Gallery of the Society of Patriotic Friends of Fine Arts and Its Permanent Exhibition under the Inspector Gustav Kratzman

In the second third of the 19th century, the Picture Gallery of the Society of Patriotic Friends of Art in Prague, located in the Sternberg Palace at Hradčany, saw a considerable turnover of works in its collection. The Society acquired new works of art, but more and more temporary loans were returned to their owners or heirs. This period is associated with the name of the second inspector of the picture gallery, Gustav Kratzmann, a painter and experienced conservator who held this position from 1848 to 1858. During his time, the returns peaked, necessitating constant changes in the exhibition layout. Over his ten-year tenure, Kratzmann prepared and installed a new permanent exhibition and published the catalogue. As a curator, he also took care of the collection, communicated with the owners of paintings and sculptures, and provided services to the visiting public. This text on the picture gallery’s second inspector is based on archival sources and 19th-century newspaper reports. Importantly, it also includes graphic reproductions of three selected parts of the exhibition.

Author's email:

lucie.vecernikova@ngprague.cz

DOI: HTTPS://DOI.ORG/10.54759/ART-2023-0205

Full-text in the Digital Library of the Czech Academy of Sciences:
https://kramerius.lib.cas.cz/uuid/uuid:308ea12c-c029-421c-a22d-fc197e6f7818

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