The informal opening of the exhibition took place at the first meeting of the ambassadors, heads of Permanent Missions to the United Nations in New York of the EU Member States chaired by the Permanent Representative of the Czech Republic H.E. Mr. Martin Palouš. (The heads of missions of EU countries meet regularly once a week.)

Every Ambassador received presents from our sponsors:

A book of photographs by Josef Sudek: “Still Lives”, published by a Czech company TORST, publisher of Josef Sudek´s work providing more insights and examples of work of the author of the exhibition “Prague panoramic”

and

a piece of Czech art glass - the statuette „owl“ from the classical hand-made collection of  Frantisek Halama. Introduced by our ambassador in the following words: “In old Roman myths, as you well know, owl accompanies the goddess Minerva and is seen as a symbol of wisdom. Wisdom has ever been a precious and quite often wanting commodity in the human world, and it is, for sure, badly needed in our turbulent times. So please, accept this gift as a expression of our sincere desire to have Minerva on our side during our presidency, and of our hope to be well-advised by her, when we will discuss the matters of our common concern, and especially when we will be adopting our collective decisions.”

About the author of the photographs Josef Sudek:

Josef Sudek was not a native of Prague. He was born in the Bohemian town of Kolín in 1896 and died in Prague 1976. He became attached to Prague by fate when he came to live in the Invalidovna Veterans' Home, after having been wounded in the First World War and losing his right arm. His life in Prague was a life with photography, making him a renowned artist and, especially during his final decades, a distinctive character of old Prague. Chancing upon the characteristic silhouette of a figure carrying over his shoulder a heavy camera and tripod would come as no surprise to many Praguers during their walks through the city's Lesser Town, or even in its concert halls. Sudek's extremely humble photographic studios were situated in places close to his heart. His former studio on Újezd Street, near the Vltava River, was recently reconstructed. His other studio-apartment below Petřín Hill has been adapted by the Museum of Decorative Arts (UPM, founded 1885) to accommodate tiny exhibition premises where a stroller through Prague may discover for himself both examples of Sudek's prolific photography and the works of other, often entirely forgotten Czech photographers. The Museum owns the largest collection of Czech photography including the whole life work of Josef Sudek. The series of pictures entitled Prague Panoramic consists of 284 contact prints (negative format 10 x 30 cm) made directly by Sudek in the 50ties. He admitted that had taken him a long time to put together "these views of Prague as long as sauseges", as he called them.

Josef Sudek's work hanging in the Delegation of the European Commission and the Liaison Office of the General Secretariat of the Council of the European Union to the United Nations in New York:

Premises of the Delegation of the European Commission and the Liaison Office of the General Secretariat of the Council of the European Union to the United Nations in New York:

 

More pictures from the exhibited collection:

Special thanks to the Museum of Decorative Arts in Prague

and to the sponsors of the Czech EU Presidency in New York:

Publisher of Josef Sudek´s work
www.torst.cz

www.halama-glass.cz

www.mattoni.cz