Franz Kafka – Ruth Kohn: stories of courage

In the Arnold villa, an opening of an exhibition will present a difficult life’s journey of a Czech-German artist and her “Kafka” paintings, followed by a discussion. Where did Rut Kohn look for hope in challenging times?

Táňa Klementová, historian, will talk with Rut Kohn, internationally recognized artist (born 1937), recalling her life and work. In 1938, Rut Kohn’s parents lived in Třebušice which became part of the occupied Sudetenland. They refused to declare their German nationality. During the communist totalitarian regime, Rut was not admitted to grammar school due to her “inappropriate class origin”. She married Pavel Kohn, an author and dramaturge of the Karlovy Vary theatre, who was the only one of his family to survive the concentration camps of Auschwitz and Buchenwald. He had to quit the theatre for political reasons and spent years searching for a permanent job. In 1967, the Kohns managed to visit West Germany, and they decided to emigrate.

In Germany, Ruth Kohn devoted herself to fine arts. Her first major exhibition took place in 1983 in Munich. Other exhibitions followed, such those at the Kunstsalon in Munich and Stuttgart, but also at the most important art fair in Basel (Switzerland), in France and in the Czech Republic as well, after the fall of communism. In 2006, she received the Prominent Czech Woman in the World award. This year marks the 100th anniversary of Franz Kafka’s death, and Meeting Brno will display paintings dedicated to this Czech-German major literary figure. The artist explains her inspiration: “Back in the Czech Republic, I loved Kafka’s Castle. Whenever I had problems, I admired that land-surveyor K., he was so cheeky and brave despite the many obstacles that awaited him on the way.”

The exhibition is curated by Marie Kopecká Verhoeven.

Programme will be held in czech.

Free admission. Limited capacity. We suggest booking your place below on this site.