The Rudolfinum is a building in

Prague Prague ( ; cs, Praha ; german: Prag, ; la, Praga) is the capital and List of cities in the Czech Republic, largest city in the Czech Republic, and the historical capital of Bohemia. On the Vltava river, Prague is home to about 1.3 milli ...

, Czech Republic. It is designed in the

neo-renaissance Renaissance Revival architecture (sometimes referred to as "Neo-Renaissance") is a group of 19th century architectural revival styles which were neither Greek Revival nor Gothic Revival but which instead drew inspiration from a wide range ...

style and is situated on Jan Palach Square on the bank of the river

Vltava Vltava ( , ; german: Moldau ) is the longest river in the Czech Republic, running southeast along the Bohemian Forest and then north across Bohemia, through Český Krumlov, České Budějovice and Prague, and finally merging with the Labe at ...

. Since its opening in 1885, it has been associated with music and art. Currently, the

Czech Philharmonic Orchestra The Česká filharmonie (Czech Philharmonic) is a symphony orchestra based in Prague. The orchestra's principal concert venue is the Rudolfinum. History The name "Czech Philharmonic Orchestra" appeared for the first time in 1894, as the title ...

and Galerie Rudolfinum are based in the building. Its largest music auditorium, Dvořák Hall, is one of the main venues of the

Prague Spring International Music Festival The Prague Spring International Music Festival ( cs, Mezinárodní hudební festival Pražské jaro, commonly cs, Pražské jaro, Prague Spring) is a classical music festival held every year in Prague, Czech Republic, with symphony orchestras an ...

and is noted for its excellent acoustics.

Uses

The Rudolfinum has been the home of the

since 1946 and is one of the main venues of the

held each year in May and June. The building was designed by architect

Josef Zítek Josef von Zítek (18321909) was a Czech architect best known for two Neo-Renaissance landmarks in Prague, the National Theatre and the Rudolfinum.Josef Schulz Josef Schulz (1909/1910 – 20 July 1941), also spelled Joseph Schultz, was a German soldier of the 714th Infantry Division stationed in German-occupied Serbia during World War II. He died in 1941, allegedly executed after refusing to take part ...

, and was opened on 8 February 1885. It is named in honour of

Rudolf, Crown Prince of Austria en, Rudolph Francis Charles Joseph , caption = Rudolf in 1887 , spouse = , issue = Elisabeth Marie, Princess Otto of Windisch-Graetz , house = Habsburg-Lorraine , father = Franz Joseph I of Austria , mother ...

, who presided over the opening. Between 1919 and 1939, the building was used as the seat of the Czechoslovak parliament. The Rudolfinum's Dvořák Hall is one of the oldest concert halls in Europe. On 4 January 1896, Antonín Dvořák himself conducted the Czech Philharmonic in the hall in its first ever concert. During the

First Czechoslovak Republic The First Czechoslovak Republic ( cs, První československá republika, sk, Prvá česko-slovenská republika), often colloquially referred to as the First Republic ( cs, První republika, Slovak: ''Prvá republika''), was the first Czechoslo ...

, the building served as the seat of the Chamber of Deputies. The venue was the location of the recording of

Nicola Benedetti Nicola Joy Nadia Benedetti (born 20 July 1987) is an Italian-British classical solo violinist and festival director. Her ability was recognised when she was a child, including the award of BBC Young Musician of the Year when she was 16. She w ...

's 2010 album ''Tchaikovsky & Bruch: Violin Concertos''.

Galerie Rudolfinum

The building also contains the Galerie Rudolfinum, an art gallery that focuses mainly on

contemporary art Contemporary art is the art of today, produced in the second half of the 20th century or in the 21st century. Contemporary artists work in a globally influenced, culturally diverse, and technologically advancing world. Their art is a dynamic co ...

. It opened on 1 January 1994 and is a non-profit institution directed and financed by the Czech Ministry of Culture. It is located at the back of the Rudolfinum. Galerie Rudolfinum has no collection of its own, and runs on the Kunsthalle principle, hosting a series of temporary exhibitions. It has around 1,500 square metres of exhibition space. The gallery director is Petr Nedoma. Major exhibitions have included: Cathy de Monchaux (1997); František Drtikol – ''Photographer, Painter, Mystic'' (1998);

Cindy Sherman Cynthia Morris Sherman (born January 19, 1954) is an American artist whose work consists primarily of photographic self-portraits, depicting herself in many different contexts and as various imagined characters. Her breakthrough work is often co ...

: ''Retrospective'' (1998); Jürgen Klauke: ''Side Effect'' (1998); ''Czech Photography 1840–1950'', (2004); Annelies Štrba (2005); Neo Rauch: ''Neue Rollen'' (2007); ''Uncertain States of America'' (2007–2008);

Gottfried Helnwein Gottfried Helnwein (born 8 October 1948) is an Austrian-Irish visual artist. He has worked as a painter, draftsman, photographer, muralist, sculptor, installation and performance artist, using a wide variety of techniques and media. His work is ...

: ''Angels Sleeping'' (2008);

Andy Warhol Andy Warhol (; born Andrew Warhola Jr.; August 6, 1928 – February 22, 1987) was an American visual artist, film director, and producer who was a leading figure in the Art movement, visual art movement known as pop art. His works explore th ...

: ''Motion Pictures'' (2009);

Shirana Shahbazi Shirana Shahbazi (; born 1974) is an Iranian-born photographer who now lives in Switzerland. Her work includes installations and large prints of conceptual photography. Biography Born in Tehran, Shahbazi moved to Germany in 1985, studying photogr ...

: ''Then Again'' (2012);

Jake and Dinos Chapman Iakovos "Jake" Chapman (born 1966) and Konstantinos "Dinos" Chapman (born 1962) are British visual artists, often known as the Chapman Brothers. Their subject matter tries to be deliberately shocking, including, in 2008, a series of works that ...

: ''The Blind Leading the Blind'' (2013); Ana Mendieta: ''Traces'' (2014);

Mat Collishaw Matthew "Mat" Collishaw Hon. FRPS (born 6 January 1966) is an English artist based in London. Collishaw's work uses photography and video. His best known work is ''Bullet Hole'' (1988), which is a closeup photo of what appears to be a bull ...

: ''Standing Water'' (2018); Arthur Jafa: ''A Series of Utterly Improbable, Yet Extraordinary Renditions'' (2019); David Claerbout: ''Olympia'' (2020).

Gallery

File:Rudolfinum concert hall.jpg, Dvořák Hall File:Praha Rudolfinum isometric.jpg, Rudolfinum as seen from

Letná Letná is a hill overlooking Prague historic centre and Vltava River just besides Prague Castle. It neighbours Stromovka, the largest park in Prague. The hill belongs to Holešovice and Bubeneč quarters of Prague 7 Prague 7 is a municipal d ...

File:Prague Autumn Penderecki.JPG,

Krzysztof Penderecki Krzysztof Eugeniusz Penderecki (; 23 November 1933 – 29 March 2020) was a Polish composer and conductor. His best known works include ''Threnody to the Victims of Hiroshima'', Symphony No. 3, his '' St Luke Passion'', '' Polish Requiem'', ' ...

and the Sinfonia Varsovia, rehearsal. Prague Autumn International Music Festival 2008. File:Rudolfinum v noci.jpg, Rudolfinum by night

References

External links

*
Galerie Rudolfinum
– Official website of Galerie Rudolfinum
Publications
{{Authority control Music venues in Prague Concert halls in the Czech Republic Event venues established in 1885 Renaissance Revival architecture in the Czech Republic National Cultural Monuments of the Czech Republic Art museums and galleries in the Czech Republic Art museums established in 1994 1994 establishments in the Czech Republic

Uses

Galerie Rudolfinum

Gallery

See also

References

External links