BIRMINGHAM, AL.- The Birmingham Museum of Art, in cooperation with the Birmingham International Center, presents the first exhibition of Czech modern art in the southeastern United States. “Pražské noci / Prague Nights” includes more than 30 works of painting, sculpture and furniture from the 1910s through the 1940s and offers a remarkable chance to experience the variety of Symbolism and Cubism characteristic of Czech art during this important period.

Drawn from the extraordinary collection of Suzanne and Norman Hascoe of Greenwich, CT, the exhibition looks at the vibrant and often haunting scenes of life in early 20th century Prague, one of Europe’s greatest cultural capitals. The Hascoes’ is one of the world’s largest and most comprehensive private collections, with some 200 paintings and sculptures by the leading Czech modernists from the first half of the 20th century. “Pražské noci / Prague Nights” includes remarkable examples by painter Frantisek Kupka and sculptor Otto Gutfreund, among stunning works by less well-known eastern European artists.

“This exhibition traces the important influence and enduring effects of the Czech sensibility and contributions to modern movements from Art Nouveau to Cubism to Abstraction,” says Birmingham Museum of Art Director Gail Andrews. “We are grateful to Suzanne and Norman Hascoe for this very generous loan.” Andrews also acknowledges the important role of Birmingham native and former Ambassador to the Czech Republic William J. Cabaniss, Jr, and Herbert A. Sklenar, who serves on the Advisory Board of the National Czech and Slovak Museum and Library, in making the exhibition possible.