Václav Špála: Flowers

Although floral still lifes constitute the most extensive part of Václav Špála’s oeuvre, they have never before been presented in a dedicated exhibition. Previous exhibitions and the specialist literature have mostly dismissed them as a less interesting segment of his work, without attempting to highlight their specific qualities. However, the perspective offered by contemporary art enables us to re-evaluate aspects of Špála’s floral still lifes that modernism regarded as problematic. Variations on a theme, craftsmanship and temporality gain fresh and appealing significance in the context of contemporary art.