Dobruška / Opočno / On Friday 15 September, the opening ceremony took place for the 'Homage to František Kupka' exhibition in Opočno. The exhibition takes place in the Castle Villa – only a few dozen metres from the world-famous painter's birthplace. František Kupka was born in Opočno in 1871. During his childhood years he lived in Dobruška, but spent most of his life in France. He died in 1957 in Puteaux, not far from Paris.

The exhibition in Opočno includes 24 paintings from Kupka's 'Man and Earth' series. The display is part of the František Kupka Cultural Festival. The exhibition in the Villa of the Opočno Chateau is organised by the Abakus association, with the support of Ms. Kristina Colloredo-Mansfeld and under the auspices of the Ministry of Culture of the Czech Republic and the Governor of the Hradec Králové Region, Mr. Pavel Bradík.

Ms. Kristina Colloredo-Mansfeld

During the opening of the Homage to František Kupka, inauguration speeches were given by Mr. František Dostál, director of the Eastern Bohemia Gallery in Pardubice, Ms. Kristina Colloredo-Mansfeld and Mr. Jiří Šitler, Ambassador of the Czech Republic in Thailand. It was from Thailand that František Kupka's paintings travelled to Opočno, as this was were the Man and Earth series had last been displayed. A collection of Kupka's drawings is currently travelling around East-Asian countries on a journey lasting from 2005-2007. Before the Man and Earth series were displayed in Opočno, the paintings were made available to the admirers of Kupka's work in China, Cambodia and Thailand. The next stopovers on the tour of Kupka's drawings through East-Asian galleries will be in Mongolia, Indonesia, Korea and Japan.   

During the ceremonial opening of the exhibition in Opočno, the Kocian Quartet presented the first movement of Maurice Ravel's string quartet 'Moderato tres Doux' in F-major and the first movement of Bohuslav Martinů's string quartet No. 2 – Moderato. There was also a performance by chanson singer Ms. Markéta Wankeová, with piano accompaniment by Mr. Miroslav Chytil. During the exhibition's opening, visitors could also view the premiere of the film 'František Kupka – Man and Earth, Bangkok', directed by Mr. František Dostál.

During the ceremonial opening of the exhibition in Opočno, the Kocian Quartet presented the first movement of Maurice Ravel's string quartet 'Moderato tres Doux' in F-major

The ceremonial opening enjoyed exceptional interest from the admirers of Kupka's work, both those from eastern Bohemia and from other locations around the country. KBA-Grafitec participated in the organisation of 'Homage to František Kupka' as a partner. The company sees its contribution as a symbolic expression of its affiliation with the East-Bohemia region and its involvement in the region's cultural life.

The ceremonial opening enjoyed exceptional interest from the admirers of Kupka's work, both those from eastern Bohemia and from other locations around the country