Programme
To the New World!
April – October 2022
Vysoká u Příbramě is associated with many inspirational personalities, the most important being the composer Antonín Dvořák and the writer, journalist and translator Josef Václav Sládek. However, these two giants of Czech art share not only their close relationship with this place and friendship with the builder of the Vysoká Chateau, Václav Robert Kounic, but also their interest in America.
They both had the opportunity to visit America and spend several years of their lives there. Sládek was in the USA from 1868 to 1870 and Dvořák from 1892 to 1895. The journeys of both men had much in common, especially their interest in the culture of Native Americans and intensive contact with Czech communities. On the other hand, they were different in many ways. Sládek travelled to America as a young, inexperienced man and led an exciting and adventurous life. In contrast, Dvořák left for America as an older and internationally renowned artist at the peak of his career.
Our exhibition is mainly focused on describing both journeys, comparing them, and placing them in a broader historical context. The impulse for our exhibition was the 130th anniversary of Dvořák’s first travel across the ocean.
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