Jan Pištěk (born 1961) began his artistic career in the mid-1980s. Together with his peers, his generation helped to fundamentally shape the art scene after the fall of communism in 1989. Postmodernist by nature, Pištěk embraced a cosmopolitan outlook and adopted an expanded concept of image and imagery – giving rise to his focus on symbols, compositional form, technical process, and the philosophical dimension of painting. Pištěk graduated from the Václav Hollar College of Fine Arts in Prague in 1980 and continued his studies at the Academy of Fine Arts from 1980 to 1986. In 1990, he became an assistant professor at the academy, teaching at the painting studio (under professor Bedřich Dlouhý) for the next five years. During the 1990s, Pištěk was one of the core artists associated with the Behémót Gallery in Prague – an important chapter in his career. His overseas visits and travels (including to the Triangle Artist’s Workshop in New York and a study tour of the Midwestern United States) brought him into direct contact with the international environment and strongly influenced his thinking and further development. Apart from being an independent artist, he also worked as a costume designer for film and theatre from 1997 to 2002. Joining his father, famous Czech set and costume designer Theodor Pištěk, he collaborated on large American film productions shot in the Czech Republic and on spectacular Czech musicals. As a solo designer, he also participated in various projects with the Forman Brothers’ Theatre on the Mystery Boat (Loď Tajemství) and at the National Theatre in Prague. The exhibition at the Royal Summer Palace at Prague Castle traces the evolution of Pištěk’s artistic process, style, and conceptual approach. Moreover, it presents a selection of Pištěk’s key works, including paintings from major state and private collections, as well as recent works, where the artist vividly revisits themes tackled previously. The invigorating premisses of the Royal Summer Palace thus narrate the painter’s story from 1988 to the present day. The exhibition is curated by Barbora Kundračíková. Datum und Uhrzeit Opening hours daily 10:00—18:00