Milada Schmidtová Čermáková (1922–2015) is one of the most authentic painters of Central European art of the second half of the 20th century. Her work was virtually unknown during her lifetime and only in recent years has it begun to be re-evaluated and placed in both domestic and international contexts. She reflected on a number of themes, approaches and feelings that remain relevant today – war anxiety, the existential feelings of a person excluded from the community, creative obsession and reconciliation in the landscape… As a young woman, Schmidtová Čermáková was part of a circle of artists at the Zlín School of Art and created the seminal War Cycle, a Surrealist series of drawings reflecting on war and personal tragedy – the death of her friend Václav Chad. In 1946, she exhibited it in Prague and took it to Paris, where, however, only the paintings of her mother, the naive painter Natálie Schmidtová, attracted interest. She herself was then completely overlooked and withdrew to the Bohemian-Moravian Highlands. She made a living as a beekeeper, painting portraits, landscapes and distinctive series of Heads and Figures which, however, remained unseen. She did not title or date most of her work and it was rumoured that she destroyed much of it. She suffered from mental health problems and lived a lonely life. Her first small solo exhibitions did not take place until 2013–2017. According to experts (Alena Pomajzlová, Ladislav Daněk, David Voda), her work is one of the most significant and surprising contributions to Czech post-war art. The accompanying publication will present a comprehensive overview of Milada Schmidtová Čermáková’s work. It will offer a systematic, critically conceived evaluation of her work in the broader context of Czech post-war art and Central European new figuration, including previously unpublished drawings, literary texts and other related material. date and time Tue—Sun 10:00—20:00