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Summary for: Prague museum searches for mysterious painting missing from public viewPrague's National Gallery is searching for the owner of a mysterious painting titled Murder, created by Czech artist Jan Zrzavý in 1918. The artwork is believed to be in a private collection, but its current whereabouts remain unknown to the gallery.
The institution hopes to locate the painting and arrange a loan for an exhibition planned for autumn 2027, which will explore the artistic relationship between Zrzavý and fellow Czech painter Bohumil Kubišta.
iRozhlas.cz reports that the search has become an unusual challenge for curators preparing the exhibition, who are appealing for information that could help identify the painting's current owner.
A century-old painting with an unknown owner
Zrzavý, one of the most distinctive figures in Czech modern art, created Vražda (Murder) in 1918, during a period of significant artistic and political change in what would soon become Czechoslovakia.
His work is associated with modernism and symbolism, often featuring dreamlike landscapes, simplified figures and emotionally charged compositions.
Although the National Gallery knows that Murder belongs to a private collection, it has been unable to establish who currently owns the painting. That uncertainty makes it difficult to request the artwork for the upcoming exhibition.
The painting's unusual title adds intrigue to the search, but there is no indication that it was stolen or illegally acquired. The mystery concerns its present ownership and location, rather than a reported crime.
The planned exhibition will examine connections between Zrzavý and Kubišta, two artists whose work helped shape Czech modern art in the early 20th century.
The painting is a 40-by-40-centimeter oil on canvas, and the gallery considers it particularly important because it shows the influence Kubišta had on Zrzavý's artistic development.
Can the public help solve the mystery?
The National Gallery has taken the unusual step of publicly appealing for information about the painting, hoping someone may know who currently owns it.
The institution has assured potential respondents that the owner's identity will remain confidential. Its aim is not to acquire the artwork permanently, but to negotiate a temporary loan and permission to reproduce it in the exhibition's accompanying catalog.
People with information about the painting can contact the gallery's modern art department at modern.art@ngprague.cz.
The exhibition, titled Zrzavý/Kubišta: Spřízněni volbou (United by Choice), is scheduled for autumn 2027. It will explore the artistic connections between the two painters, with Murder considered a particularly valuable example of their relationship.
The gallery is still seeking the owner and hopes to secure the painting as a highlight of the exhibition.
For now, the fate of the 108-year-old artwork remains an open question. The gallery hopes its public appeal will help bring Murder back into view for visitors to Prague next year.
