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Umělec/umělkyně a cizina: zahraniční umělci v českém prostředí vs. umělci z českých zemí v zahraničí
The artist and the foreigner: foreign artists in the Czech environment vs. artists from Czech countries abroad
Event by: Ústav dějin umění Akademie věd ČR, v. v. i.
Location: Ústav dějin umění AV ČR, v. v. i. | Institue of Art History, Czech Academy of Sciences, Husova 4, Praha 1
About event
--English version below--
The National Gallery in Prague and the Institute of Art History of the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic invite you to participate in the conference: Artist and foreigner - foreign artists in the Czech environment versus artists from Czech countries abroad.
The deadline for applications is 31 December 2025.
The conference will take place on 21-22 May 2026 in Prague.
The phenomenon of mobility, migration and cultural exchange fundamentally influenced visual culture throughout the centuries. Thanks to its location in the center of Europe, the Czech lands represented not only an important crossroads through which many artists passed, but also an attractive destination for foreign creators, especially during periods of cultural flourishing. At the same time, however, there was also an opposite movement: male and female artists born or trained in the Czech environment often took shorter and longer trips abroad. The motivation for mobility was diverse: from forced emigration for political, religious or economic reasons to the pursuit of more inspiring training, new professional experiences or more prestigious jobs. This two-sided movement significantly shaped the local visual language, aesthetic preferences and institutional frameworks of artistic life.
The conference aims to examine a wide range of aspects of this theme in the time span from the Middle Ages to the 20th century. We welcome contributions focused on biographical portraits of personalities who have experienced mobility, as well as more general characteristics of the migration of artists in certain periods of time or between specific countries and regions. Attention can also be paid to the cultural transfer brought about by mobility, or to the social aspects of the issue – for example, ways of involving foreign artists in local structures and their adaptation in a new environment.
On a more general level, contributions can be devoted to the perception of the phenomenon of otherness or foreignness, which the work and life of migrating artists usually represented for society. Last but not least, we welcome contributions focused on the characteristics of important sources or types of sources and on the analysis of the possibilities of their informational use.
The topic is open to art historians, archivists, historians and experts from related fields, the only condition is to base the contribution on the statements of archival sources. 1000 characters and a brief biography medallion. The expected duration of the performance is 20 minutes, the publication of contributions is taken into account. The working languages will be Czech and English. The organizing team reserves the right to select contributions.
Please send annotations of contributions with brief biographies to:
uhlikova@udu.cas.cz, radka.heisslerova@ngprague.cz
More info:
https://www.udu.cas.cz/cz/akce/umelec-umelkyne-a-cizina
--
EN
The National Gallery Prague and the Institute of Art History of the Czech Academy of Sciences invite conference contributions: Artists Overseas: Foreign Artists in the Czech Lands and Czech Artists Abroad.
The deadline for applications is 31 December 2025.
The conference will take place on 21 – 22 May 2026 in Prague.
The phenomenon of mobility, migration and cultural exchange has profoundly shaped visual culture across the centuries. Owing to their location in the heart of Europe, the Czech lands have long served not only as an important crossroads through which many artists passed, but also as an attractive destination for foreign creators, particularly during periods of cultural flourishing. At the same time, movement occurred in the opposite direction: artists born or trained in the Czech environment frequently undertook shorter or longer journeys abroad. The motivations for mobility were diverse—from forced emigration for political, religious, or economic reasons to the pursuit of more stimulating training, new professional experiences, or more prestigious commissions. This two-way movement significantly influenced the local visual language, aesthetic preferences and institutional frameworks of artistic life.
The conference aims to examine this topic from multiple perspectives ranging from the Middle Ages to the twentieth century. We welcome papers focusing both on biographical portraits of figures who experienced artistic mobility, as well as on broader analyzes of migration patterns among artists within particular periods or between specific countries and regions. Attention may also be given to the cultural transfer that mobility generated, or to the social aspects of the issue, such as the ways in which foreign artists became integrated into local structures and adapted to new environments. On a more general level, contributions may address perceptions of otherness and foreignness that the work and lives of migrant artists typically represent for their host societies. Finally, we also welcome papers dealing with the characteristics of important sources or source types, and analyzes of how such materials can be used for research purposes.
The theme is open to art historians, archivists, historians and specialists from related fields. The only requirement is that each paper should be grounded in the evidence of archival sources.
We invite those interested in active participation to submit a proposal in the form of an abstract (maximum 1,000 characters) accompanied by a brief biographical note. The expected length of each presentation is 20 minutes. Publication of the papers is planned. The conference languages will be Czech and English. The organizing committee reserves the right to select papers.
Please send abstracts with brief biographies to:
uhlikova@udu.cas.cz, radka.heisslerova@ngprague.cz
More info:
https://www.udu.cas.cz/en/akce/umelec-umelkyne-a-cizina
The National Gallery in Prague and the Institute of Art History of the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic invite you to participate in the conference: Artist and foreigner - foreign artists in the Czech environment versus artists from Czech countries abroad.
The deadline for applications is 31 December 2025.
The conference will take place on 21-22 May 2026 in Prague.
The phenomenon of mobility, migration and cultural exchange fundamentally influenced visual culture throughout the centuries. Thanks to its location in the center of Europe, the Czech lands represented not only an important crossroads through which many artists passed, but also an attractive destination for foreign creators, especially during periods of cultural flourishing. At the same time, however, there was also an opposite movement: male and female artists born or trained in the Czech environment often took shorter and longer trips abroad. The motivation for mobility was diverse: from forced emigration for political, religious or economic reasons to the pursuit of more inspiring training, new professional experiences or more prestigious jobs. This two-sided movement significantly shaped the local visual language, aesthetic preferences and institutional frameworks of artistic life.
The conference aims to examine a wide range of aspects of this theme in the time span from the Middle Ages to the 20th century. We welcome contributions focused on biographical portraits of personalities who have experienced mobility, as well as more general characteristics of the migration of artists in certain periods of time or between specific countries and regions. Attention can also be paid to the cultural transfer brought about by mobility, or to the social aspects of the issue – for example, ways of involving foreign artists in local structures and their adaptation in a new environment.
On a more general level, contributions can be devoted to the perception of the phenomenon of otherness or foreignness, which the work and life of migrating artists usually represented for society. Last but not least, we welcome contributions focused on the characteristics of important sources or types of sources and on the analysis of the possibilities of their informational use.
The topic is open to art historians, archivists, historians and experts from related fields, the only condition is to base the contribution on the statements of archival sources. 1000 characters and a brief biography medallion. The expected duration of the performance is 20 minutes, the publication of contributions is taken into account. The working languages will be Czech and English. The organizing team reserves the right to select contributions.
Please send annotations of contributions with brief biographies to:
uhlikova@udu.cas.cz, radka.heisslerova@ngprague.cz
More info:
https://www.udu.cas.cz/cz/akce/umelec-umelkyne-a-cizina
--
EN
The National Gallery Prague and the Institute of Art History of the Czech Academy of Sciences invite conference contributions: Artists Overseas: Foreign Artists in the Czech Lands and Czech Artists Abroad.
The deadline for applications is 31 December 2025.
The conference will take place on 21 – 22 May 2026 in Prague.
The phenomenon of mobility, migration and cultural exchange has profoundly shaped visual culture across the centuries. Owing to their location in the heart of Europe, the Czech lands have long served not only as an important crossroads through which many artists passed, but also as an attractive destination for foreign creators, particularly during periods of cultural flourishing. At the same time, movement occurred in the opposite direction: artists born or trained in the Czech environment frequently undertook shorter or longer journeys abroad. The motivations for mobility were diverse—from forced emigration for political, religious, or economic reasons to the pursuit of more stimulating training, new professional experiences, or more prestigious commissions. This two-way movement significantly influenced the local visual language, aesthetic preferences and institutional frameworks of artistic life.
The conference aims to examine this topic from multiple perspectives ranging from the Middle Ages to the twentieth century. We welcome papers focusing both on biographical portraits of figures who experienced artistic mobility, as well as on broader analyzes of migration patterns among artists within particular periods or between specific countries and regions. Attention may also be given to the cultural transfer that mobility generated, or to the social aspects of the issue, such as the ways in which foreign artists became integrated into local structures and adapted to new environments. On a more general level, contributions may address perceptions of otherness and foreignness that the work and lives of migrant artists typically represent for their host societies. Finally, we also welcome papers dealing with the characteristics of important sources or source types, and analyzes of how such materials can be used for research purposes.
The theme is open to art historians, archivists, historians and specialists from related fields. The only requirement is that each paper should be grounded in the evidence of archival sources.
We invite those interested in active participation to submit a proposal in the form of an abstract (maximum 1,000 characters) accompanied by a brief biographical note. The expected length of each presentation is 20 minutes. Publication of the papers is planned. The conference languages will be Czech and English. The organizing committee reserves the right to select papers.
Please send abstracts with brief biographies to:
uhlikova@udu.cas.cz, radka.heisslerova@ngprague.cz
More info:
https://www.udu.cas.cz/en/akce/umelec-umelkyne-a-cizina