Autonomous World of Abstraction (1920-1930s)

As with scientific discovery and social change, art has also changed our way of seeing reality. Modern art from Impressionism through Expressionism to Cubism was still based on reality, but it was trying to capture it with a new way of viewing it. However, abstract works have their origins elsewhere. They do not display or represent real objects or situations, but they are, in themselves, a new, original reality. The contents are the difficult to express inner feelings that the artist attempts to access and materialize by visual means. In Czech art, František Kupka and František Foltýn are considered to be pioneers of abstraction.

František Foltýn left for Paris in 1923, where by the gradual reduction of reality he came to the realization that the abstract image is a separate reality from which we learn about ourselves and the world around us, even if we cannot express it in words. Atonality and its Permeation, which can be seen in the exhibition, has all the characteristic features of Foltýn's painting at that time: the rhythm of the surface using egg-shaped forms is multiplied by the pronounced contrast of warm and cold colours. The intersection of individual shapes creates an impression of the vibration of space and the flow of energy.

Some exceptional drawings by one of the founding figures of modern European abstraction, Olomouc native Adolf Hölzel are included in this part of the exhibition. The collection was acquired by the museum as a gift from the Berlin collectors Heinz and Monika Röthinger.