Martin Kuča - Naděje in Dobřichovice

Painting exhibition

Date: 2. 2. 2026 - 28. 2. 2026
Place: Zamek Dobřichovice
Our rating: ★★ (2/3) — VERY GOOD

If you find yourself near the scenic Dobřichovice zámek, you currently have the opportunity to immerse yourself in the exhibition by Martin Kuča (1952). The exhibition centers on the theme of hope. The paintings and drawings on display are a mix of romanticism and surrealism, with a strong emphasis on the human figure and the natural world. It is well curated and the paintings are powerful, colorful and evocative. But let’s start from the beginning.

We hadn’t planned to visit the exhibition, but we were in the area looking for a tiny bit of sun which we never found. We walked around the winding paths of the castle grounds, we couldn’t visit it either as it closes during the winter season. We set off along the bike trails, surrounded by sleepy houses. Suddenly, we saw this poster of the exhibition, at the side entrance of the castle. The door was closed, and the vernissage was over, but we decided to try and enter. We were pleasantly surprised by the exhibition and the beauty of the room overlooking the riverside.

We were the only ones wandering around the exhibition, which made it even more special. We had the chance to admire the paintings in complete silence, without any distractions. We tried to figure out the symbolism and the meaning behind each painting, and we were able to connect them with some other works of art of the same period. The horses, the bull and the surrealism of the landscapes reminded us of the works of Sydney Nolan [1, 2], Valentin Serov [3] and Eugène Delacroix [4], while the human figures and the romanticism of the scenes reminded us of the works of Caspar David Friedrich [5, 6] amongst others.

[1] - Kelly and horse by Sidney Nolan (1946)

[2] - Drought skeleton by Sidney Nolan (1953)

[3] - The rape of Europa by Valentin Serov (1910) which is one of the most famous paintings of the romanticism, was also a strong reference for some of the paintings on display.

[4] - Horse frighted by lightning by Eugène Delacroix (between 1825 and 1829)

[5] - Northern landscape, spring by Caspar David Friedrich (1811)

[6] - A walk at dusk, by Caspar David Friedrich (1811)

“Even when we look at nature, our imagination constructs the picture.”

Eugène Delacroix, The journal of Eugène Delacroix

Expect the unexpected

When traveling around small towns, we tell ourselves that we will find something unexpected, and we are always right. This time, it was the exhibition of Martin Kuča in Dobřichovice, which was a pleasant surprise and a great way to spend some time. We had the chance to discover a new artist and to connect with his work in a very personal way and we highly recommend it to anyone interested in romanticism in contemporary art. We additionally recommend a nice local coffee shop called “Anyka” where we had a dark roasted coffee and a fresh loupak pastry, which was the perfect way to end our visit to Dobřichovice.

We look forward to seeing more exhibitions in Dobřichovice in the future, and we hope that this one will be the first of many more to come.

Some interesing readings about the figure of the horse in romantic poetry and art: The figure of the horse in romantic poetry

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