Trade Fair Palace Art Gallery -19th Century, Modern Art & Architecture Exhibitions
The Trade Fair Palace (Veletržní palác) is a huge modern building, that has collection of modern and contemporary art. The building itself is an architectural gem from early 20th-century built in functionalist design. It was originally constructed in the late 1920s for trade fairs and repurposed as an art gallery in 1976.
There is so much to see here, it’s almost impossible not to spend the whole day here. The focus is here is more on the 19 century to the present day and the collection includes paintings by Czech artists such as František Kupka, Alfons Mucha, and Toyen, as well as international masters like Pablo Picasso, Georges Braque, and Gustav Klimt.
There are also frequent temporary exhibitions – the last one I’ve seen was about Architecture for People with examples from the 1960s. One of my favourite exhibition is also the collection of all the mock ups and models of major statues in Prague. You can see for example how the statue of Wenceslas on the horse developed and how the artist used different people to portray the king Wenceslas.
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My local tip
Whilst the ticket price is very reasonable for the Trade Fair Palace Art Gallery (probably the best value out of all the galleries owned by the Prague Gallery), I sometimes visit on the ‘free entry’ days to look at specific exhibition (without the pressure of feeling like I have to see everything else).
The free entry days are usually the main Czech public holidays and museums or galleries specific days, such as 8 & 9 February (anniversary of founding NGP – National Prague Gallery), 18.5 (Museum & Galleries Day), 28. 10 and 17.11.
On these days, the entrance is completely free. You don’t need to book, just turn up and enjoy!
Don’t miss
My visit to the Trade Fair Palace is never fully completed unless I visit the Kolector Cafe on the ground floor. It’s run separately from the gallery, so you can pop in any time without buying a ticket.
They have really good coffee and delicious homemade food (soups are amazing!) all served in a very unique space of the original entrance to the Fair Trade Palace. The cafe is arranged on different levels, including the original wide stairs. The only thing is, that because Kolector is one of the top coffee spots in Prague is also quite busy, mainly with students and their laptops, but if you can find a space, it’s definitely well worth the visit.
What can you see inside the Fair Trade Palace Gallery
The large exhibition halls of the functionalist building provide 13,500 m² of space for more than 2,000 art exhibits.
There are over five floors, which are used for various exhibitions, but because of all that space it can sometimes feel a bit under used. There is definitely more space that the gallery can utilise, but it means that it’s never really too crowded.
1939–2021: The End of the Black and White Era
This exhibition has over 360 exhibits from the NGP collections displaying original architectural designs. The title “The End of the Black and White Era” does not name the period covered but is rather a slogan for the approach chosen in creating the exhibition. It’s a collection of thought provoking art installations, paintings and abstract art.
1956–1989: Architecture for All
This exhibition focuses on architecture and lifestyle between 1956 and 1989, including authors such as Václav Aulický, Věra and Vladimír Machonin, František Cubr, Karel Prager, Alena Šrámková, or creative collectives like Sial Liberec.
You will be able to recognise some of the modern buildings from Prague, such as the modern Zizkov TV Tower or the new additions to the Main Train Station. Displays include original design plans, photos, films from the National Film Archive and period publications.
1918–1938: The First Republic
This exhibition includes artist’s work from the first Czech Republic between 1918 and 1938. Alongside paintings and sculptures by leading Czech, Slovak, Czech-German, and Carpatho-Rusyn artists (Václav Špála, Josef Čapek, Jindřich Štyrský, Toyen, August Brӧmse, Maxim Kopf, Wenzel Hablik, etc.), it also includes works from the renowned French collection (Paul Gauguin, Henri Rousseau, Pablo Picasso, Vincent van Gogh, etc.), which the Czechoslovak state purchased shortly after it was established in the 1920s and 1930s.
1796–1918: Art of the Long Century
This exhibition includes works of the famous Virgin by Gustav Klimt, Egon Schiele, Edvard Munch, Paul Gauguin, Vincent van Gogh, and Pablo Picasso. The exhibition’s concept is based on important themes typical and characteristic of the art of the time (portrait, landscape, historical, religious themes, etc.). The exhibition also includes paintings by Eugène Delacroix, Camille Corot and André Derain.
Alongside the paintings, sculptures by Václav Levý, Josef Václav Myslbek, Josef Mařatka, Ladislav Šaloun, František Bílek, Stanislav Sucharda, Michal Powolny, Constantin Meunier, and Auguste Rodin are also on display.
Ground Floor – Space for moving image
The long-neglected ground floor hall of the Fair Trade Palace was transformed into the so-called Space for Moving Image in February 2015. You can usually see moving art displays or films here. The permanent exhibition also includes the Sekal Studio – a reconstructed Vienna studio of one of the most important Czech artists of the second half of the 20th century.
History of the Trade Palace Building
The original building was designed by Oldřich Tyl and Josef Fuchs and built between 1925-1929. At the time, the building was the largest of it’s kind in the whole world with over 13 500 m2 of exhibition floors.
Until 1951, trade sample fairs were held here, and later the palace was used as the headquarters of several foreign trade companies including Tuzex. Tuzex was a shop where you could buy imported goods, which wasn’t available anywhere else. But you had to first change your Czech currency into special currency called ‘bon or bony’, which were only valid in Tuzex shops.
In 1974, this functionalist building was nearly completely destroyed by fire. After extensive reconstruction, the palace started to be used by the National Gallery and on occasions for holding smaller trade fairs.
Practical Information for visiting Trade Fair Palace Art Gallery
- Address: Dukelských hrdinů 47, 170 00 Prague 7
- Opening Times: Tuesday to Sunday: 10:00 AM – 6:00 PM, Monday: Closed
- Ticket Prices: Adults: 250 CZK, Students and Seniors: 140 CZK, Children under 15: Free, Family Ticket (2 adults + up to 3 children): 440 CZK
How to get to Trade Fair Palace from the centre of Prague by public transport
Tram:
- Take tram line 17 from the city center (e.g., from the Staroměstská tram stop).
- Get off at the Veletržní palác stop. The journey takes about 10 minutes.
Metro and Tram:
- Take the metro (Line C) to the Vltavská station.
- From Vltavská, take tram line 6 or 17 and get off at the Veletržní palác stop. The tram journey is only about 3 minutes
The tram stop is directly in front of the art gallery palace.
This blog post was originally written on 14 March 2025 and last updated on 14 March 2025
