A season of art: 7 exhibits worth seeing in Prague this spring

The Historical Building of the National Museum hosts a sweeping exhibition that reaches beyond the life of Chinggis Khan to explore the broader history and culture of Mongolia. In collaboration with the Chinggis Khaan National Museum and the Mongolian Academy of Sciences, the show features over 260 rare objects—including gold jewelry, ritual masks, ancient weapons, and a unique wooden horse saddle—from the time of the Great Khan and centuries surrounding it. This exceptional collection offers a vivid journey into the mysticism, military prowess, and daily life of the Mongol world.

This grand retrospective brings together nearly 150 black-and-white and color photographs—many never before published—spanning over five decades of the celebrated Czech-American photographer’s career. Marking his final solo exhibition, Robert Vano offers a poetic farewell, charting his journey from New York to Milan, Paris, and Prague. Visitors can expect iconic male nudes, portraits, and still lifes, alongside rare platinotypes, archival images from the ’70s and ’80s, and multimedia elements including video, podcasts, and a documentary by Adolf Zika.

This expansive retrospective at Prague City Gallery’s House of Photography celebrates the life and work of Pavel Jasanský (1938–2021), a geologist-turned-visual artist whose career spanned music, theatre, documentary photography, and experimental video art. The show explores his sharp eye for absurdity in everyday life—from haunting, people-less landscapes of late socialism to his iconic Spectator video sculpture and a decades-long collection of signed portraits. With works that blur the line between empathy and critique, Jasanský offers a mesmerising portrait of a civilisation obsessed with images—and teetering on the edge of collapse.

On the occasion of the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II, The Hour of Liberation: Wartime Posters 1938–1945 at the Imperial Stables showcases nearly 100 original posters exploring the powerful role of propaganda during World War II. From Nazi anti-Jewish materials to British morale campaigns and anti-Soviet messages, the show offers a stark and fascinating look at how posters shaped public opinion and wartime communication across Europe and beyond.

Villa Pellé Gallery hosts Prague’s first comprehensive Jiří Trnka retrospective in over 30 years, celebrating the life and legacy of the influential Czech artist, animator, and founder of the iconic Bratři v triku studio. This interactive, multimedia exhibition revisits Trnka’s timeless creations—from Špalíček to The Garden—and features illustrations, puppets, sculptures, paintings, and original films. Designed to captivate all ages, it also includes a cinema, children's playroom, and a robust accompanying program curated by Martina Vítková and Jan Trnka.

From May 23, the exhibition Fate from Jan Saudek will showcase his photographs featured on vinyl and CD covers, bronze reliefs accompanied by corresponding photographs by Jan, and likely several of the artist’s paintings as well. The exhibition is organized by Galerie Kmoch and takes place in the ground-floor gallery of the New Town Hall.

This groundbreaking exhibition sheds light on the often-overlooked contributions of women to European art from the Middle Ages to the 19th century. Featuring works from Central Europe, the Netherlands, and Italy, it explores how women navigated societal limitations to create bold, imaginative, and technically skilled art across painting, sculpture, graphics, and design. From nuns with rich inner lives to Renaissance survivors of violence, and pioneering figures like Maria Sibylla Merian, the show reveals how talent and perseverance carved out a space for women in a male-dominated world.