After Czechoslovakia gained independence in 1918, the Picture Gallery became the main institution of fine art collections. Under its modern name, the National Gallery Prague – which is the successor of the Art Gallery and the Modern Gallery – was formed in accordance with the law adopted in 1949.
Now it is the most extensive collection of works of art in the Czech Republic. In addition to displaying its own collections, the National Gallery holds temporary exhibitions in seven sites in Prague and some others outside the capital. The collection of Asian art was formed in 1952, when an independent department of oriental art in the National Gallery was created. Its objects formed the basis of the contemporary Collection of Asian and African Art. In 1961, this collection included a great number of objects of Asian art that had been collected since the 1880s in the Museum of Decorative Arts in Prague.
You can learn more about the topic in the book-album "The Collection of the Czech Republic" (Volume XVI) in the series "Cultural Legacy of Uzbekistan in the World Collections".
The main sponsor of the project is the oilfield services company Eriell-Group.
The largest collection of fine art exhibits
The Modern Gallery was founded in 1902, its collection and exhibition activities focused on art of the 19th and 20th centuries.