When looking at Oldřich Uttendorfský’s collection, the phrase cabinet of curiosities inevitably comes to mind. Since the Renaissance, it has been used to describe eclectic collections comprising not only works of art but also other treasures, historical and ethnographic artifacts, and specimens from the natural world. The collector places artworks and objects side by side, searching for unexpected connections. Thus, an ancient Egyptian cat mummy may be found next to a painting by Jiří Hilmar, while an object by Barbora Blahutová might be joined by, say, a whale ear bone. For him, neither the price tag nor whether something qualifies as art is of primary importance. Everything possesses its own intrinsic value and aesthetic quality. As a former obstetrician, Oldřich Uttendorfský also has a gift for discovering reflections on life – and its finitude – in the items in his collection. Oldřich Uttendorfský Just as fascinating as Uttendorfský’s collection is his life story. He was born and spent his childhood in Indonesia, where his father worked at one of the Baťa factories. At the age of eleven, he moved to the Netherlands, where he attended a Catholic boarding school and later qualified as a doctor. For more than twenty years, he worked as an obstetrician and gynaecologist at clinics in the Netherlands and the United States. He began travelling regularly to the Czech Republic only after 1989, when he became Chairman of the Committee of Good Will – Olga Havel Foundation. He also served as Honorary Consul General of the Czech Republic in the Netherlands. Since 2011, he has served as Honorary Consul of the Principality of Monaco in Prague. About the gallery: At Magnus Art Gallery, we provide a platform for Czech and international private art collectors. Every collection has a story worth telling, and we believe that both the exhibitions we present and the collectors behind them can inspire our visitors to embrace a life with art. We see collecting not merely as a source of pleasure or a personal pursuit, but as an essential part of the art world as a whole. It is an emotional investment, as well as a form of patronage and philanthropy. Art informs not only the spaces around us, but above all broadens our horizons of knowledge and understanding. Magnus Art Gallery is supported by J&T Banka. Guided by the principle of noblesse oblige – i.e., the belief that wealth and success carry a responsibility – the bank has long supported projects that cultivate, enrich, and help move society forward. date and time Mon—Sat 12:00—19:00