Jiří Fajt

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Jiří Fajt (2019)

Jiří Fajt (born May 11, 1960 in Prague ) is a German - Czech art historian , author and exhibition curator who lives in Berlin . From 2014 to 2019 he was General Director of the National Gallery in Prague . His main area of ​​research is medieval and early modern art in Central Europe. In recent years he has also increasingly devoted himself to contemporary art and curates related exhibitions.

Career

Studies, curatorial activity, research stays and appointment as general director

Jiří Fajt completed an agricultural degree at the Czech Agricultural University in Prague in 1983 and worked as a window cleaner until 1988 due to state repression against intellectuals. He completed his studies in art history from 1987 to 1993 at the Philosophical Faculty of Charles University under Jaromír Homolka, Petr Wittlich and Jiří Kropáček with a master's degree in 1993 with the text “The late Gothic art of carving in Prague and its social background (1430–1526) ".

At the same time he began working as curator of the collection of Bohemian stone sculptures from the 11th to 19th centuries in the Lapidarium of the National Museum in Prague (1988–1992), where he, among other things, reorganized and opened the collection that has been inaccessible to the public since the 1950s responsible for the new branch of the National Museum on the exhibition grounds in Prague 7 . In 1992 he became curator for medieval art at the National Gallery in Prague and two years later director of the Old Masters Collection there.

In 1999 he received his doctorate in art history at Charles University with the text Die Westböhmische Skulptur 1400–1475 . From 1998 to 2001 he was the founding director of the Center for Medieval Art at the Prague National Gallery. In 1991 he studied with Hans Peter Hilger in Munich at the invitation of the Bavarian National Museum and in 1999 with Hermann Fillitz at the invitation of the Austrian Academy of Sciences in Vienna . Between 1998 and 2004 research stays at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York followed . In 2000 he left the National Gallery in Prague of his own accord because of profound differences of opinion with the then general director Milan Knížák . As a result, the Center for Medieval Art at the Prague National Gallery was closed.

From 2001 Fajt was a visiting professor at the Technical University of Berlin and completed his habilitation there in 2009. He also taught at the Humboldt University in Berlin and the Charles University in Prague. From 2014 to 2019 Fajt was General Director of the National Gallery in Prague until he was dismissed from this position by the then Czech Minister of Culture. His dismissal led to outrage and severe criticism.

Appointment as professor at Charles University in Prague

In June 2014, Jiří Fajt completed the appointment process as a regular professor at the Charles University in Prague as a qualified private lecturer. In May 2015, however, President Miloš Zeman refused to sign the appointment decision. He justified this with the fact that Fajt had negotiated a sponsorship agreement with the Kommerzbank (Komerční banka), which at that time became the general partner of the National Gallery in Prague, and would thus receive a supplement to the salary.

Fajt denied these allegations. Charles University and Fajt filed a lawsuit against the President of the Czech Republic in November 2015. This was given the final decision in 2018, with the request to President Zeman not to postpone the appointment any longer. Zeman did not comply with this until May 2019. In addition, the former President of the Supreme Administrative Court, Josef Baxa, testified that the President had tried to influence the court decisions.

Research and exhibition activity in Germany

From 2001 to 2007 Fajt headed the international research project The Jagiellonians - a European Dynasty. Art and Culture in Central Europe 1450–1550 at the Humanities Center for the History and Culture of East Central Europe ( GWZO ) at the University of Leipzig . Since then he has continued his research at the GWZO with numerous projects, such as the project court culture in East Central Europe from the 14th to the 18th century (2008-2010), the representation and afterlife of late medieval rulers of Central Europe: Art - Liturgy - History approx. 1250–1550 ( 2011–2013) and the project Representation as a means of communication for the social elites of Eastern Central Europe 1250–1550 (2014–2019). In addition, Fajt and Markus Hörsch initiated the series Kompass Ostmitteleuropa (Thorbecke publishing house), as well as the nine-volume manual of the history of art in East Central Europe (Deutscher Kunstverlag).

Fajt was also the initiator of the infrastructure project for the digital internet platform funded by the Leibniz Association, which was implemented in 2016–2018 together with the Herder Institute Marburg and the Photo Archive Photo Marburg. He was also the project manager of the following major international exhibitions, which were coordinated at the GWZO and realized in collaboration with colleagues from East Central Europe.

Jiří Fajt (2014)
  • 2005/06: Prague, the Crown of Bohemia (The Metropolitan Museum of Art 2005) and Charles IV - Emperor by the grace of God. Art and Representation of the House of Luxembourg 1310–1437 ( Prague Castle 2006)
  • 2012/13: Europa Jagellonica. Art and culture of Central Europe under the Jagiellonian rule 1386–1572 (Kutná Hora, GASK 2012; Warsaw, National Museum and Royal Palace 2012; Potsdam, House of Brandenburg-Prussian History 2013), curated in collaboration with Susanne Jaeger.
  • 2014/15: Fantastic worlds. Albrecht Altdorfer and the expressive in art around 1500 ( Städelsches Kunstinstitut Frankfurt am Main 2014; Kunsthistorisches Museum Vienna 2015), in collaboration with Susanne Jaeger.
  • 2016/17: Emperor Charles IV. 1316–2016 . First Bavarian-Czech state exhibition (National Gallery Prague 2016; Germanisches Nationalmuseum Nürnberg 2017), in cooperation with the House of Bavarian History, Augsburg, at GWZO coordinated by Susanne Jaeger.

Curatorial activity (selection)

  • Permanent exhibition of the Lapidarium of the National Museum in Prague, 1993
  • Exhibition "Gothic in West Bohemia (1230–1530)", West Bohemian Museum and West Bohemian Gallery in Pilsen, National Gallery Prague, 1995/96
  • Exhibition “The Saint with the Book”, National Gallery, Prague, 1996
  • Exhibition “ Magister Theodoricus , court painter to Emperor Charles IV”, National Gallery, Prague, 1997/99
  • Permanent exhibition “Bohemia and Central Europe 1200–1530” of the National Gallery in Prague, in the monastery of St. Agnes of Bohemia, opened in 2000
  • Exhibition “Prague - The Crown of Bohemia, 1347–1437”, New York, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2005/06
  • “Charles IV, Emperor by God's grace”, Prague, Prague Castle, 2006
  • Exhibition “Europa Jagellonica 1386–1572. Culture and art in Central Europe under the rule of the Jagiellonians ”, Kutná Hora, Galerie Středočeského kraje (GASK), 2012; Warszawa, National Museum (Muzeum Narodowe w Warszawie) and Royal Castle (Zamek królewski), 2012/13; Potsdam, House of Brandenburg-Prussian History, 2013.
  • Exhibition “Fantastic Worlds. Albrecht Altdorfer and the expressive in art around 1500 ”, Frankfurt am Main, Städel Museum, 2014/15; Vienna, Kunsthistorisches Museum, 2015. (Co-Curator)
  • Exhibition "Emperor Karl IV. 1316–2016", National Gallery Prague, Walenstein Riding School, 2016; Nuremberg, Germanisches Nationalmuseum, 2016/17
  • Exhibition "Gerhard Richter", National Gallery Prague, Kinsky Palace and Agnes Monastery , 2017.
  • Exhibition by Ai Weiwei "Law of the Journey", National Gallery Prague, Messepalast, 2017/18.
  • Co-curator of “Salm Modern # 1: Possibilities of Dialogue”, National Gallery Prague, Salm Palace, December 2, 2018– December 1, 2019

Publications (selection)

Habilitation theses

  • The Nuremberg painter Sebald Weinschröter in the network of imperial court and patriciate (1349–1365 / 70). Technical University Berlin 2009. Published as: Nuremberg as the art center of the Holy Roman Empire. Courtly and urban painting in the time of Emperor Charles IV. 1346–1378 . Berlin / Munich 2019, ISBN 978-3-422-07332-6 .
  • The long shadow of Charles IV. On the reception of the representation of Luxembourg rulers in the Holy Roman Empire , Charles University, Prague 2011. Published as: The long shadow of Emperor Charles IV. On the reception of the representation of Luxembourg rulers in the north-eastern territories of the Holy Roman Empire . Prague 2015, ISBN 978-80-7035-603-6 . (published in German and Czech)

Monographs

  • with Jan Royt: The Lesser Town and the Charles Bridge . Prague 1992, ISBN 80-85240-33-5 . (published in Czech, Italian, French and English)
  • with Jan Royt: The Prague Castle and Hradčany . Prague 1992, ISBN 80-85240-35-1 . (published in Czech, Italian, French and English)
  • with Lubomír Sršeň: Lapidárium Národního muzea Praha / Lapidarium of the National Museum Prague . Permanent exhibition catalog. Prague 1993,. (published in Czech and German)
  • with Jan Royt: St. Vitus Cathedral . Prague 1994, ISBN 80-85785-05-6 . (published in Czech, German and English)
  • Gotika v západních Čechách 1230–1530 (Gothic in Western Bohemia), exhibition catalog, 3 volumes. ed. by Jiří FAJT. Prague 1996: Gotika v západních Čechách [Gothic in Western Bohemia]; Edice barokních inventářů [Edition of Church Inventories from the Baroque Period]; Sochařství [sculpture]; Katalog-Sochařství [catalog sculpture], pp. 18-32 (Volume 1), pp. 571-590 (Volume 2), pp. 618-624 (Volume 3), pp. 628-878 (Volume 3). ISBN 80-7035-088-1 , 3 volumes.
  • Magister Theodoricus, Court Painter to the Emperor Charles IV . Prague 1997–1998, ISBN 80-7035-161-6 . (published in Czech and English)
  • Prague, The Crown of Bohemia, 1347-1437 . Ed. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, exhibition catalog. New Haven – London 2005, ISBN 1-58839-162-0 .
  • Karel IV., Císař z Boží milosti. Umění a kultura za vlády posledních Lucemburků ve střední Evropě, 1310–1437 / Charles IV, Emperor by the Grace of God. Art and Culture under the last Luxembourgs in Central Europe, 1310-1437 . Exhibition guide. Prague 2006, ISBN 80-86161-98-6 . (published in Czech and English)
  • Europa Jagellonica 1386–1572. Art and culture of Central Europe under the rule of the Jagiellonians. Potsdam 2013, ISBN 978-3-7995-8411-1 .
  • with Helena Dáňová: Emperor Charles IV. 1316–2016 . Exhibition guide. Prague 2016, ISBN 978-80-7035-614-2 . (published in German, English and Czech)
  • Emperor Charles IV. 1316–2016 . Exhibition catalog. Prague 2016, ISBN 978-80-7035-613-5 . (published in German and Czech)
  • with Jan Šícha: Wise ruler in a time of disasters. In the footsteps of Emperor Charles IV between Prague and Nuremberg . Prague 2016, ISBN 978-80-7035-609-8 . (published in German and Czech)

Web links

Commons : Jiří Fajt  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Published in: Průzkumy památek 2/1995, Supplement 1, Prague 1996, p. 112.
  2. ^ Lapidarium of the National Museum Prague, catalog of the permanent exhibition (together with Lubomír Sršeň). Prague 1993.
  3. ↑ Česká televize: Fajt probudil Národní galerii, jeho odvolání byla poprava za denního světla, říká šéf centra DOX. Retrieved November 8, 2019 (Czech).
  4. ↑ Ministr kultury odvolal ředitele Národní galerie a podal trestní oznámení. April 18, 2019, accessed November 8, 2019 .
  5. ^ Christiane Peitz: Prague: Protests against the dismissal of the Nationalgalerie boss. Der Tagesspiegel, May 7, 2019, accessed on November 8, 2019 .
  6. ↑ Deutschlandfunk: Cultural Policy in the Czech Republic - Politically motivated dismissal? Retrieved November 8, 2019 .
  7. ↑ Alex Rühle: "We live in a tragic country". Süddeutsche Zeitung, May 7, 2019, accessed on November 8, 2019 .
  8. ↑ Odvolání Fajta je zdrcující, vypadáme jako banánová republika, reagují odborníci | Aktuálně.cz. April 18, 2019, Retrieved November 8, 2019 (Czech).
  9. ↑ Czech Culture Minister Dismisses Two Prominent Museum Directors, Sparking Protests. Retrieved November 8, 2019 (American English).
  10. ↑ Zeman: Nejmenuji profesorem někoho, kdo si řekl o miliónový úplatek - Novinky.cz. Retrieved November 8, 2019 .
  11. ↑ Zeman odmítá jmenovat tři profesory. Nerespektuje nás, zlobí se rektor UK. May 5, 2015, accessed November 8, 2019 .
  12. ↑ Univerzita Karlova žaluje prezidenta Zemana. Za bojkot jmenování profesorů | Domov. November 20, 2015, accessed November 8, 2019 (Czech).
  13. ↑ Zeman musí jmenovat profesory, rozhodl soud. Retrieved November 8, 2019 .
  14. ↑ Prezident Zeman nejmenuje profesory Univerzity Karlovy, i když ho k tomu vyzval Soud. Retrieved November 8, 2019 (Czech).
  15. ^ Hans-Jörg Schmidt: Czech President on a campaign for revenge. Accessed November 8, 2019 (German).
  16. ↑ Renata Kalenská: Soudcova výpověď o Zemanově útoku na justici: Dával mi jasně najevo, jak máme rozhodnout, říká Baxa. January 16, 2019, accessed November 8, 2019 (cs-CZ).
  17. ↑ ckupke: The Jagiellonians - Poland's Forgotten Dynasty. March 1, 2013, accessed November 22, 2019 .
  18. ↑ Jagiellonian: Poland's Forgotten Dynasty. Retrieved November 22, 2019 .
  19. ^ Archeology.online: A new standard work on the art history of Central Europe. Retrieved November 8, 2019 .
  20. ↑ 700th birthday: The Bavarian-Czech national exhibition celebrates Charles IV. Accessed on November 8, 2019 .
  21. ^ Magister Theodoricus, Court Painter to the Emperor Charles IV. Prague 1997-1998. ISBN 80-7035-161-6 . (published in Czech and English). - Court Chapels of the High and Late Middle Ages and Its Artistic Decoration, proceedings. Prague 2003, ISBN 80-7035-190-X , p. 545.
  22. ↑ Štěpánka Chlumská (ed.): Medieval Art in Bohemia and Central Europe, 1230–1530, guide to the permanent exhibition of the medieval collection of the National Gallery in Prague in Agnes Monastery. Prague 2006, ISBN 80-7035-327-9 .
  23. ↑ Generální ředitel Národní gallery Jiří Fajt: Karel IV. Byl pro mě výzvou - Novinky.cz. Retrieved November 8, 2019 .
  24. ↑ Peggy Lohse: The dialogue in times of monologues. Accessed November 7, 2019 (German).
personal data
SURNAME Fajt, Jiří
BRIEF DESCRIPTION German-Czech art historian
DATE OF BIRTH May 11, 1960
PLACE OF BIRTH Prague