This large exhibition will focus on Saxony and Bohemiafor the first time, namely on their dynamic mutual relations, detailing the close ties between their inhabitants, bilateral conflicts and reconciliations. The display makes it possible to handle the historical context broadly and explain the differences between Saxony and Bohemiaas well as their like-mindedness in the European context.
The cultural legacy of the Saxon-Bohemian border area corroborates the lively and multilayered relations, mutual enrichment and links between the two regions. The exhibition seeks to present this multilayered and dynamic history of mutual relations *à la longue durée*, i.e. from the Stone Age to the present. The project is a result of cooperation between the Staatliches Museum für Archäologie Chemnitz and the National Gallery Prague.
In a symbiosis of art and history, the exhibition, which is divided into nine parts, focuses on the day-to-day and economic life as well as historical events in the ruling stratum. The display Prague will especially show unique artworks many of which will be displayed for the first time in Bohemia. The selected artefacts will detail specific moments in the history of Saxon-Bohemian relations and offer a special aesthetic experience. On display will be Gothic and Renaissance art (e.g. paintings by Lucas Cranach), masterpieces in the mannerist style, paintings by Oskar Kokoschka or a model of *Quo vadis,* the well-known sculpture by David Černý. His statue of the Trabant car on four human legs is a typical reminder of the events in autumn 1989, when the Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany Prague became a temporary asylum shelter for East German citizens. This event can be seen as a symbolic turning point in the long history of relations between Saxony and Bohemia.
Project headed and curated by: Doreen Mölders (smac), Marius Winzeler and Olga Kotková (NGP)
*The exhibition was prepared by the National Gallery Prague in cooperation with the State Museum for Archeology Chemnitz. The exhibition is held under the auspices of the Prime Minister of the Czech Republic Andrej Babiš and the Prime Minister of the Free State of Saxony Michael Kretschmer.*
