Nikl, Rittstein, Císařovský, Bolf… Even a cursory glance at the names represented in the Sublime Hyacinth collection suggests that it showcases some of the leading figures of the post-1989 Czech art scene. Yet the couple behind the collection, Yvette and Boudewijn, both come from the Netherlands. In the early 1990s, however, they met in Prague – and it was in Prague that their passion for Czech art began to take shape, to grow, and to expand. Their collection is exceptionally extensive, comprising more than two hundred works, mostly large-scale paintings. As a result, the Magnus Art Gallery venue can offer only a brief glimpse into the collection. In order to provide you with a deeper insight, we decided to partially rotate the works on view halfway through the Endless Curiosity exhibition. Over the course of three months, more than twenty monumentally scaled paintings will alternate on the gallery walls in two successive phases. St Nicholas’ Church in the Lesser Town, one of Prague’s most iconic buildings, holds a special place in the hearts of Boudewijn and Yvette. That’s how it became the subject of an unusual commission. The two collectors gradually approached five painters. All were given the same brief: to create their own interpretation of St Nicholas’ Church in the generous format of 200 × 240 cm. The resulting ensemble of five works – which would never have been made without the collectors’ initiative – is today a key part of the Sublime Hyacinth collection and will be on display throughout the exhibition. Czech contemporary art is usually viewed almost exclusively through the eyes of insiders – its organic participants – who are firmly rooted in the same cultural soil. Yvette and Boudewijn’s perspective is different: a view from the outside, free of local assumptions, guided by a healthy distance as well as endless curiosity. date and time Mon—Sat 12:00—20:00