Mölzer Kyncl Hilmar 1968–1978 Czech artists in direct dialogue with the European art scene

In 1968, three Czech artists left their home country and settled in West Germany. Instead of losing their supportive environment, however, they found new connections and became part of one of Europe’s most influential art scenes at the time. This trio, whose work has not previously been studied as an integral whole, are now the subject of a systematic presentation at the Gallery of the Central Bohemian Region (GASK).

The exhibition Mölzer Kyncl Hilmar 1968–1978, which opens to the public on 12 April, looks at the art and related activities of Milan Mölzer (1937–1976), František Kyncl (1934–2011) and Jiří Hilmar (1937–2026) in West Germany, where they developed their artistic idiom in exile and in contact with progressive artistic tendencies. The three artists shared an important period in their lives during which they had to adapt to a new life in a foreign land while building their artistic careers on new foundations. The passing contacts they originally had between each other in Czechoslovakia gradually developed into a strong network of artists, theorists and gallerists. ‘In fact, in preparing the exhibition and the related texts, as new discoveries led us to new places and personalities, we decided to adopt the concept of a network as our main leitmotif,’ says curator Veronika Marešová. The exhibition presents the three artists’ activities within the context of the European art scene, specifically one of its main centres – the German city of Düsseldorf.

A key factor in the exhibition project was the study of archival materials, which provided a new perspective on the artists’ activities and shed new light on aspects of their time abroad that had not been fully studied before. Over several years of research, curators Monika Immrová, Pavel Kappel and Veronika Marešová systematically researched materials from domestic and foreign archives in order to compile the information that, today, forms the basis for the entire exhibition. ‘We gradually pieced together a story that has long been missing in the Czech context,’ says curator Pavel Kappel. Monika Immrová adds: ‘The archives yielded correspondence, photographs, invitations and personal notes, including František Kyncl’s collage diaries. Only by bringing all these sources together did the overall picture, now presented by the exhibition, begin to coalesce.’ In fact, a series of entries from 1968–1978 in Kyncl’s journals, kept at Düsseldorf’s Heinrich Heine Institute, form one of the exhibition’s central axes. In these journals, Kyncl shows himself to be an exceptionally active catalyst of events. His diaries also capture the everyday reality of life as an émigré and reflect the dynamic nature of the era’s art scene. The decision to look at the ten-year period from 1968 to 1978 is also related to Milan Mölzer’s premature death in 1976. The exhibition thus focuses on the time from the trio’s departure into exile until their first important international successes.

Mölzer Kyncl Hilmar 1968–1978 presents important as well as previously unpublished works from the collections of public institutions and private collectors in the Czech Republic and other countries. The exhibition’s main focus is on monumental works on paper – reliefs and objects that reflect the experimental character of all three artists’ work, including its European-wide significance. Also on display are the previously mentioned journals by František Kyncl. ‘The exhibition explores an important aspect of Czech art in an international context and highlights the importance of artists who managed to thrive even under the difficult conditions of exile,’ says Václav Švenda, Regional Councillor of the Central Bohemian Region for Culture, Heritage Care and Tourism.

The exhibition, which has been put together by curators Monika Immrová, Pavel Kappel and Veronika Marešová, is accompanied by a Czech-English publication. The exhibition programme includes guided tours, activities for families with children, a summer ‘non-camp’ and other related events. In addition, the GASK Learning Centre has set up an interactive studio that encourages visitor interaction and lets them document their response to the exhibition.

The project was made possible thanks to financial support from the Central Bohemian Region, the Ministry of Culture of the Czech Republic, the Czech State Culture Fund and the Town of Kutná Hora. It is held under the patronage of Mgr. Václav Švenda, Regional Councillor of the Central Bohemian Region for Culture, Heritage Care and Tourism.

Mölzer Kyncl Hilmar 1968–1978

12. 4. – 13. 9. 2026

Curators: Monika Immrová, Pavel Kappel, Veronika Marešová (GASK)

Exhibition architect: Tomáš Svoboda

Graphic design for the exhibition and publication: Tomáš Nedoma

Venue: Galerie 1, GASK