EXHIBITION OPENING IN THE BRUSSELS TOWN HALL AND THE FÉLICIEN ROPS MUSEUM, BOOK LAUNCH IN THE PRAGUE HOUSE

09.02.2009

On Thursday 29 January there will be the opening of the DECADENCE. BOHEMIAN LANDS 1880 – 1914 exhibition, known to the Czech public under the name In Morbid Colours: The Idea of Decadence and Art in Bohemian Lands 1880 – 1914 that took place in the Prague Municipal House (15. 11. 2006 – 18. 2. 2007). On Saturday 31 January its second part will be officially opened, this time in the Félicien Rops Museum in Namur.

The exhibition, divided by its curator Otto M. Urban into two mutually complementary collections, is loosely based on the Prague premiere, and through a large number of works by Czech artists (such as Karel Hlaváček, Josef Váchal, František Drtikol, František Kaván, Ladislav Šaloun, Jaroslav Panuška, Josef Mandl ... ) offers to familiarise the Belgian audience with key themes of the decadence phenomenon (see press release).

At both of the openings a new vinyl entitled DECADENCE – In Morbid Colourse will be presented as well as a live perfromance of La Décadanse Revisited prepared for this exhibition by the singer Monika Načeva and the painter and scenographer David Cajthaml. An eight minute long remix of the famous song La Décadanse by Serge Gainsbourg and Jane Birkin will be published on vinyl in a limited edition of 300 pcs by Arbor vitae.

For the occasion of the exhibition Arbor vitae have published an English version of an extensive publication "In Morbid Colours: Art and the Idea of Decadence in Bohemian Lands, 1880 - 1914" co-edited by Otto M. Urban, PhD., PaeDr. Luboš Merhaut, CSc and PhDr. Daniel Vojtěch PhD. In 2007 it won the Most Beautiful Book of the Year Prize and was nominated for the Magnesia Litera Prize.

The official book launch will take place on Wednesday 28 January at 19.30 in the Prague House in Brussels.

Apart from the English version of the monograph a French-Flemmish exhibition catalogue with 130 pages and 75 illustrations has been published under the title Decadence. Bohemian lands 1880 – 1914.

For more information visit www.dekadence.info