About the building
FUNCTIONALIST
EXHIBITION BUILDING
MÁNES
The functionalist building is closely linked to the history of the Mánes Association of Fine Artists, which was founded in 1887 by leading Czech artists. The association brought together Czech painters, sculptors, and later architects. However, its members also included prominent foreign artists such as sculptor August Rodin, painters Edvard Munch, Pablo Picasso, Marc Chagall, and Salvador Dalí, as well as architect Le Corbusier.
The Mánes Association of Fine Artists organized exhibitions, published magazines, introduced new trends, and organized trips abroad for Czech artists. Between 1928 and 1930, it built its own building with a gallery on the site of the former Šítkovské mills. The construction and decoration were financed by the association’s members from their own resources and from donations from patrons, including President T. G. Masaryk and banker Louise Rothschild.
The design of the building was entrusted to architect Otakar Novotný, who designed it in the spirit of functionalism as a low white cube, whose main space is a magnificent exhibition hall with a glass gabled roof that allows sufficient daylight to reach the exhibited works. The first exhibition held here was a large retrospective of Czech art entitled “One Hundred Years of Czech Art 1830–1930.”
The Mánes Gallery became a renowned center of Czech art. However, after 1948, the association’s activities were forcibly interrupted. In 1956, SVU Mánes was dissolved and replaced by the Czech Fund for Fine Arts, which managed the building until the 1990s, when its property and activities were taken over by the Czech Fine Arts Foundation, the current owner of the Mánes Gallery.
Between 2012 and 2014, the building underwent a complete renovation and regained its charm. Its interior was restored to its original 1930s appearance. The original restaurant with a terrace and ceiling frescoes by Emil Filla was also restored. The café also features a restored Steinway grand piano from 1897, on which composer Jaroslav Ježek used to play.
The Mánes Gallery building was designed by the renowned Czech architect Otakar Novotný in the functionalist style. Completed in 1930, the building is one of the pinnacles of Czech modern architecture and a symbol of the connection between art and progressive design. The Mánes complex also includes the Šítkovská water tower, which dates back to the 16th century and gives the whole place a historical context and iconic atmosphere. The combination of the modern building and the historic tower creates a harmonious dialogue between the past and the present. Come and admire not only the works of art inside the gallery, but also this architectural gem, which makes Mánes a place in Prague that you simply cannot miss.
