École de Paris: Artists from Bohemia and Interwar Paris

When we hear “Czech artists in interwar France”, the names of František Kupka, Josef Šíma, Jindřich Štyrský, and Toyen come to mind. If the same was said to an art-loving Parisian in the 1920s, he or she would most probably think of Georges Kars, Othon Coubine, François Zdenek, or François Maurice Eberl. They were the ones who managed to make a name for themselves on the Parisian interwar art scene, their works appearing in prestigious galleries and on the pages of art magazines, and they were part of a cosmopolitan group of artists based mainly in Montmartre and Montparnasse, known as the Paris School. 

The project therefore explores Kars, Coubine, and Eberl’s position in the Parisian art movement and looks back on their participation in art salons and group exhibitions. A number of previously unknown works by these three artists form the core of the exhibition, complemented by paintings by Edita Hiršová and world-famous figures such as Amedeo Modigliani, Chaim Soutine, Jules Pascin and Chana Orloff. 

The Paris School is characterized by a mixing of styles and a certain stylistic hybridity, due to the cosmopolitan environment in which these works were created, as interwar Paris had an aura of a centre of modern artistic currents. At the same time, the social context in which these artists lived and worked generated themes that are mirrored in their work: portraits of the painters’ contemporaries in civilian clothes or in various costumes, including their sales representatives and gallerists, cityscapes, street life in poor Parisian neighbourhoods, models, prostitutes, scenes from cabarets and circuses, studios, cafés, entertainment venues, etc. – in short, everyday life in interwar Paris. These are also the main themes running through the entire exhibition. In addition to this, Coubine’s landscapes from the south of France are also on display, and a set of Coubine’s works that were acquired by Gertrude Stein’s brother, collector Leo Stein, are shown to the public for the first time ever. 

Curator: Anna Pravdová 
Venue: Wallenstein Riding School  
Dates: 7 November 2024 – 2 March 2025