New Dvořák exhibition features never-before-seen images
Nearly 50 photographs of Antonín Dvořák, one of Czechia’s most famous composers, are now on display at the Antonín Dvořák Museum in Prague. Captured by both well-known photographers and amateurs, these images offer a rare glimpse into the composer’s life.
The great Czech composer Antonín Dvořák was born in 1842, just two years after the invention of photography. But even though photography only became more accessible to the general public in the early 1920s, we do have a surprisingly large number of photos capturing the composer.
Some of those photos, including several rarely seen and previously unexhibited photographs of Antonín Dvořák from age 27 to the end of his life, are now on display at a new exhibition at the Antonín Dvořák Museum in Prague. Its director, Veronika Vejvodová, shares more details:
“Visitors can see more than 45 photographs taken by prominent Czech and international studios, as well as amateur photographers, capturing various stages of Antonín Dvořák's life.
“The exhibition includes not only portraits of Dvořák himself but also photos with his family and friends. What is worth mentioning is that we are also exhibiting three photographs of American Indians, which Dvořák received in Spillville, Iowa during his stay in the US.”
Among the photos on display is a set of amateur snapshots showing Antonín Dvořák enjoying leisure time with his family at their summer residence in Vysoká u Příbramě. It was there that he composed or reworked some of his major works, including Rusalka or the second series of Slavonic Dances. Veronika Vejvodová again:
“These images give us a glimpse into how he spent his free time, often with his family. Many of the photos were taken by his son, Otakar Dvořák, who was a passionate amateur photographer. Through them, we see Dvořák enjoying leisure moments with his closest family and friends.”
Among the highlights are stereoscopic photographs—an early 3D imaging technique popular in the 19th century—capturing Dvořák and his family during their time in the United States.
“The photos were taken by his friend, Alfred Baštíř, a Czech doctor who was also in New York at the time. He had a special camera with him. The images are two-dimensional, but when viewed with a special device, they appear in 3D,” explains Ms. Vejvodová:
Alongside the photos, some of Antonín Dvořák’s personal belongings are also on display, some of which were lent to the museum by one of the composer’s heirs, his great-grandson Petr Dvořák.
“The items give us insight into how Dvořák dressed and what was in fashion at the time. For example, we have a straw hat—his so-called leisure hat—which he typically wore at Vysoká or in Křečovice, where his daughter lived with her husband, Josef Suk.”
The exhibition can be viewed at the Dvořák Museum every day with the exception of Mondays. It will be on display until the end of next April.
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