Exhibition Rudolf Fila

We invite you to the exhibition Rudolf Fila: Vibrations, author’s books, illustrations, serial repaintings at the Czech Center. Rudolf Fila was one of the most prominent figures on the Slovak art scene in the second half of the 20th century.

As a painter, teacher, and theorist, he combined abstract expression with a sense for the inner layers of painting, significantly influencing both his students and art itself. Today, his works can be found in prestigious galleries at home and abroad, and his texts are a valuable contribution to art theory.

Vibrations by Rudolf Fila is the last in a series of exhibitions commemorating the 10th anniversary of the death of this Czechoslovak painter and teacher. It is not only a reminder, but also an inspiration for a deeper understanding of his multi-layered work.

The exhibition shows painter Rudolf Fila from a lesser-known angle – as a creator of original books, illustrator, and author of so-called serial repaintings. The original books represent one of the hitherto hidden highlights of Fila’s work. Austrian artist Arnulf Rainer, who exhibited alongside Fila, wrote controversially about him – a philosopher crazy about books – in his text: “Fila’s book work is more important than his paintings. They stand in his way and, given the long time he devoted to them and their craftsmanship, they are an obstacle to his unstable, fluid intelligence.”

His book work is represented by illustrations for important titles. The pastels for the book Hawaiian Myths prove that Fila was inspired not only by the history of European art, but also by themes from non-European indigenous peoples. In the illustrations for some books, he also used a technique known as torn collage, which does not appear in his free work.

The series of repaintings shows the amazing diversity and ingenuity of Fila’s interventions in the same original, in this case a floral still life. They “vibrate” from a gentle touch to a “furious” repainting that completely covers the original motif.

Rudolf Fila was best known for his reinterpretations of Gustav Klimt’s works, known as “repaintings,” in which he introduced abstract interventions and a dialogue between the concrete and the abstract into the originals of the old masters.

His works are part of the collections of the Slovak National Gallery, the National Gallery in Prague, the Moravian Gallery in Brno, the Museum of the 20th Century in Vienna, museums in Ulm and London (Credit Suisse Art Collection), as well as many other museums in Europe and America.

During the exhibition, the following will be screened:

the film GEN.SK – Rudolf Fila (directed by Juraj Johanides)
the documentary Vykroč! (directed by Robert Šulák), in which Rudolf Fila’s former student, artist Dezider Tóth, talks about one of his paintings.

Exhibition curator: Marián Reisel.

Location: Český dom, Prepoštská, Bratislava, Slovakia

Date: June 13, 2025, 10:00 AM – August 28, 2025

Opening hours:

Tuesday – Friday: 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM

Admission: free

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