The Kolowrat Family Palace Chicago hosted a unique film exhibition

30. November 2016 saw the gala opening night of a unique exhibition called ‘To the Movies! 2’ with the tagline ‘on the move’. An exhibition whose overall conception surpasses old-fashioned stereotypes and pushes the boundaries of this type of art a little further out. Visitors were able to try out all the exhibits for themselves and thus get immersed in the magical world of cinema. Invited guests from among the representatives of the cultural sphere, exhibition partners, the media and friends of film had the unparalleled opportunity to try out the newly installed exhibits during the gala evening. Among the guests were e.g. the Dean of the Arts Faculty of Charles University, assistant professor Mirjam Friedová, Ph.D., the film director Helena Třeštíková or the scenographer and animator Jiří Kubíček, co-founder of Prague’s FAMU film academy.

The overall impression of the festive opening was wonderfully rounded off by the interweaving of the 3 thematic areas marking the exhibition. From the early beginnings of cinematography, dominated by the magic lantern, through the abstract cinema so typical of the inter-war avant-garde period, to the lenticular images that demonstrate the basic principles of animation and give the Museum the modern touch. The story of film literally come alive in the Museum during those evening hours.

The exhibition was opened by its curators, Adéla Mrázová, Terezie Křížkovská and Jakub Jiřiště. JUDr Dominika Kolowrat-Krakowsky welcomed visitors on behalf of the Kolowrat-Krakowsky Family. “It is no secret that the cinematic arts have profound links with the Kolowrat Family. Count Alexander Joseph Kolowrat-Krakowsky was the founder of the Austrian film industry. The Count first devoted himself to camera-work and directing, later concentrating exclusively on film production. He even established film studios, at the Velké Dvorce chateau. The first Austrian documentary film on ‘The Ore Mining in the Styrian Erzberg in Eisenerz’ was largely down to his team” – Lady Kolowrat-Krakowsky highlighted the historical significance.

The Functionalist style Palace is located in the vicinity of Národní Třída boulevard and associated with the exhibition thematically, specifically through the inter-war avant-garde period, for the Chicago Palace came into being in cooperation with a young leading-light of this period, Josef Havlíček, a top expert on reinforced concrete, as well as the construction entrepreneur, Jaroslav Polívka. The Palace was built for Count Jindřích Vilém Kolowrat-Krakowsky.

The Exhibition ‘To the Movies! 2’ is open to the general public from 1 December 2016 to 30 April of the coming year. Find out more about the ‘To the Movies!’ exhibition and the National Film Museum project at www.nafilm.org.