Prague

Crowned King of Bohemia in 1347, Charles IV (1316–1378) sought to make his capital city—Prague—the cultural rival of Paris and Rome. The remarkable flowering of art that transformed the city into Bohemia's Gothic jewel is celebrated in this exhibition, a landmark presentation of some 160 stunning examples, including panel paintings, goldsmiths' work, illuminated manuscripts, sculpture, silk embroideries, and stained glass. These little-known masterpieces attest to the wide-ranging achievements of the hundreds of artists affiliated with Prague and the Bohemian crown during the reign of Charles IV and his two sons, Wenceslas IV (1361–1419) and Sigismund (1368–1437). The exhibition draws on numerous collections in the Czech Republic as well as other European and American collections, and includes many works that have never been publicly shown.

Organized both chronologically and thematically, the presentation begins with the reign of Charles IV and focuses on several of the great artistic campaigns through which his capital city was transformed into a cultural showplace.