Image: Gallery of Fine Arts in Ostrava
The Gallery of Fine Arts in Ostrava will present ‘Uhrančivá krása věčných stránek’, an exhibition devoted to bibliophilia, artists’ books and related graphic works, from 9 September to 11 October 2026. The exhibition will be held at the gallery’s Dům umění in Ostrava, with an opening scheduled for 8 September at 5 p.m. Its focus is a recently acquired ‘Green Box’ by Marcel Duchamp, which the institution describes as unique among Czech public collections.
The exhibition approaches the book as an independent work of art rather than solely as a vehicle for literary content. According to the gallery, artists’ books and bibliophile editions bring together text with visual, typographic and tactile qualities. Material selection, visual conception and authorial originality are treated as integral to the work, while free-standing artworks connected to the subject extend the exhibition beyond the book object itself.
The presentation draws from the collection of the Gallery of Fine Arts in Ostrava, a contributory organization established by the Moravian-Silesian Region. The gallery says it manages and actively develops a relatively new collection devoted to these forms, making available objects that until recently had not been regarded as a primary collecting priority. The exhibition follows a 2024 presentation of a unique Toyen group and places that earlier focus alongside the Duchamp acquisition.
Eliška Čabalová’s artists’ books will be shown with bibliophile works by Toyen and free graphic sheets by František Kobliha. The participating artists also include Josef Čapek, Jiří David, Ferdiš Duša, Emil Filla, Alena Foustková, Urban Janke, Dáša Lasotová, Emil Orlik, Adriena Šimotová, Jindřich Štyrský and Jan Wojnar. Duchamp’s ‘Green Box’ serves as the exhibition’s central object within this broader selection from the Ostrava collection.
The exhibition is curated and authored by Jiří Jůza, with graphic design by Katarína Jamrišková. The gallery’s 2026 programme is organized during the centenary year of the Dům umění, founded in 1926. The anniversary programme includes exhibitions drawn from the institution’s holdings, but ‘Uhrančivá krása věčných stránek’ is presented as a distinct, compact exhibition concentrating on the material and visual dimensions of books and works on paper.
The opening on 8 September will be shared with ‘Alba vzdoru a naděje’, a separate exhibition on samizdat albums produced in the Ostrava region during the 1970s. For ‘Uhrančivá krása věčných stránek’, the gallery lists opening hours as Tuesday through Sunday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.; the exhibition remains on view through 11 October 2026.
