David Černý’s works of art are a must-see in Prague! Omnipresent and controversial, the provocative artist has made his mark on Prague. He made his name in 1991 by repainting a Russian tank in pink. The latter was a tribute to the liberation of the city by the Red Army (a surprising work to be discovered at the end of the article).
During a stay in Prague, David Černý’s monumental works are a must. His sculptures can even form the common thread of an atypical discovery walk of Prague.
Today, Czech contemporary art is David Černý! You won’t be able to miss him when you visit Prague, as his works are so compelling. They are strategically located throughout the Czech capital. There are currently 14 of them, not counting the many projects in progress, such as a replica of a cargo ship grounded vertically on a residential building in Nové Butovice, or a locomotive bridge between two buildings (inspired by a photo of a derailment that occurred in Montparnasse in 1895). Recent projects include a new large-scale sculpture in Prague’s Karlín district. A massive metal-framed hand and leg support the entrance to a housing estate called Fragment. An even larger chrome-steel figure, Lilit, 24 m high and weighing 35 tons, stands on an adjacent plot of land opposite the baroque Invalidovna building (a former military hospital, to which the dismembered sculpture echoes, as the artist is said to have also found fragments of statues there). Altogether, these works weigh 60 tons! Note that the head rotates 180° every night at midnight!
I’ve put together a selection of the artist’s 12 most beautiful and bewildering works, which are a must-see during a successful stay in Prague. Follow me!
Spitfire planes transformed into butterflies
This is the most recent (May 2024) and most visible work in Prague! Spitfires transformed into butterflies adorn the façade of the Brutalist department store Máj in Prague, and honor the heroes of the Second World War. The sculptures pay tribute to the Czechoslovak fighter pilots who served in the British Royal Air Force (RAF) during the Second World War. Černý explained the inspiration for his work: «Which war machine is the most beautiful symbol of the fight for freedom? For me, it’s the Spitfire.» Černý, who grew up with a passion for aviation, sees the Spitfire as a symbol of victory over evil. Speaking of the artwork’s location, Černý said, «I was also inspired by the month of May (Máj means May in Czech) as a symbol of the end of the Second World War and the beginning of spring.» The butterfly plane sculptures are several meters high and have a wingspan of around eight meters. They also flap their wings and glow at night.
Where can you see this work? Národní 26
The Lucerna Passage horse (Kůň)
Under the Art Nouveau dome of the beautiful Lucerna Passage you’ll always see tourists. Nose up, camera in hand, they immortalize an upside-down horse, hanging from the ceiling and tongue hanging out.
This is the horse of St. Wenceslas, the patron saint of the Czechs, with the latter enthroned on the animal’s belly.
A slightly surreal vision on display since 1999, it contrasts with the equestrian statue in Wenceslas Square, just a stone’s throw away. In fact, the statue in the passageway was originally at the bottom of Wenceslas Square, where it was installed for a time, creating a sort of parallel in opposition to the statue of St. Wenceslas at the top of the square. On this second one, the Holy King rides his faithful steed as he should this time – right side up! While you’re in the Lucerna Palace, take a coffee break: right next to the horse is the splendid, surprisingly well-preserved Art Deco café where I love to go…
Where to see this work? Pasáž Lucerna – entrance at 61 Štěpánská Street or 36 Vodičkova Street
Television Tower Babies (Miminka Babies)
Whether you like it or not, Žižkov’s TV tower is part of the landscape and, like mine, will serve as a landmark during your stay in Prague. Although it’s sometimes ranked among the world’s ugliest buildings, few Praguers will tell you anything bad about it. The ten bronze babies were to take over the tower only temporarily in 2000. They were so popular, however, that they were permanently reinstalled a year later. At the top of the tower is Prague’s most unusual hotel room! Sleeping at One Room is an experience you’ll remember for the rest of your life!
Where can you see it? Malherovy sady 1
Kampa Babies (Miminka Babies)
Three of our faceless babies can be found in Mála Strana, on the island of Kampa, near the Museum of Modern Art. The advantage of these babies over those in the TV tower is that you can touch them and even straddle them… You’ll be able to take some amusing photos.
Where can you see this work? Kampa Park
The Trabant in the gardens of the German Embassy (Quo vadis?)
Still in Mála Strana (Mála Strana or «little side» is the district between the river and the Castle Hills), in the gardens of the German Embassy, you’ll find a Trabant on legs… Flashback to August 1989: the Berlin Wall is still standing, and thousands of East Germans are heading for Prague since Hungary closed its border with Austria. Often, they arrive in Trabants, the sturdy little cars produced in the GDR, and it’s the West German embassy that serves as a rallying point. On September 30, there was general jubilation when it was announced that :
The 4,000 people who, after scaling the walls, had managed to get into the embassy compound were invited to travel west by train!
But what about the Trabants? Most of them are abandoned, with the keys inside, to the delight of the locals. All that remains is this bronze Trabant symbolizing this exodus, installed in 2001. To catch a glimpse of it, I suggest you walk along the north end of Petřín Park, on the Castle side. Returning to the work itself, Černý created it by borrowing money from his father. Once the work was sold, the artist bought himself… a car.
Where to see this work? German Embassy (Lobkowicz Palace) – Vlašská 19 (work visible from the gate separating the embassy gardens from those of Petřín).
Men who piss (Čůrající postavy)
Last work in Mála Strana (the name given to the district stretching to the foot of the Castle, remember) with these two men pissing standing in the courtyard of a former brickworks where the Franz Kafka Museum is also located. Shocking? Not in the Czech Republic, where we know how to be tolerant (we often see mothers quite naturally helping their children to pee in the gutter).
And these two cast bronzes don’t pee on just anything, since we’re talking about the Czech Republic…
Secondly (and this is all very serious), they’ll pee on anything! Torso and penis are mechanized, and a telephone number, visible at the foot of the statue, lets you send your message by SMS!
Where to see it? In front of theFrank Kafka Museum – Hergetova Cihelna, Cihelná 2b
Brownnosers (temporarily inaccessible)
This work, which is sure to amuse young and old alike, is located in the garden of the Futura gallery (get off at Švandovo divadlo and walk up Holečkova street to number 49). Don’t hesitate to ask at reception where the garden is, as it’s a little hard to find in the dark basement. Once you’ve climbed the statue ladder and passed the head, you’ll be able to watch a short, rather political video, and have your photo taken if you dare.
Where to see this work? FUTURA – Holečkova 49 (temporarily closed)
Franz Kafka’s head (K)
This is David Černý’s most popular work and is inspired by the work The Metamorphosis. Installed in Národní třída, on the square behind the Quadrio shopping center, the sculpture is 11 meters high and consists of 42 superimposed parts that are always in motion. The mechanical head is thus constantly forming and deforming with a gentle noise. Here too, it’s a guaranteed hit with tourists. You can see the head spinning in the video below, or save the surprise for when you visit Prague. If you’re staying at the superb Hotel Golden Crown, you’ll have a front-row seat (and peace and quiet!) In 2024, David Černý installed another rotating head in Los Angeles, this time by David Lynch (the American director says he was very inspired by Kafka, whose Metamorphosis he wanted to adapt for the screen before giving up for budget reasons)
Where can I see it? Vladislavova 24
The Hanging Man (Viselec)
Not far from this Kafka head, on the corner of Skořepka and Husova streets, Sigmund Freud’s suspended body has been on display since 1997. One hand clutching a plank, the other in his pocket, the famous psychoanalyst doesn’t seem too distressed by his predicament.
Where to see this work? At the junction of Na Perštýně and Husova streets
Embryo
Less than 200 meters from Hanging Man, you’ll find another work of art, Embryo. This is a downspout with a human embryo in the middle. When illuminated, the work takes on a special dimension at night.
Where to see it To the right of the Na zábradlí Theatre facade – Anenské náměstí 5
The Soviet tank (Torzo Tanku)
David Černý began his artistic career by illegally repainting a Soviet tank pink in Kinský Square in Prague 5 (see below). A square that since 1945 had been called Soviet Tank Crew Square and where this «monument» stood. This monument was reviled in 1968, when Warsaw Pact troops repressed the Prague Spring, leading to twenty years of «normalization». Today, only a small part of the tank remains. A pink sculpture entitled «One Hundred Grams of Tank» was briefly reinstalled in 2008 during the Russo-Georgian conflict, then permanently – but in green – in 2018 to mark the fiftieth anniversary of the occupation of Czechoslovakia by Warsaw Pact troops. The sculpture was repainted yellow and blue by friends of the artist following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and is now pink..
Where can I see it? Náměstí Kinských
The Porsche 911 (Beetle)
This sculpture, a Porsche 911 (a car dear to the artist since early childhood), purple and impaled at 17 meters high, stands in Prague 4 (an eccentric district that I don’t recommend as a place to put your suitcases!) in front of the BB Centrum building and next to an expressway. The car is in constant motion, like the Kafka head mentioned above and as you can see in this video.
Where can you see it? Street 5. května
The statue of Věra Čáslavská
A statue installed in 2024 and dedicated to one of the most important Czech sporting icons, Věra Čáslavská, seven-time Olympic gymnastics champion.
Where can you see it?In front of the Tyrš house in Újezd (not far from the aforementioned Kampa babies)
But also
Note that this list is not exhaustive, and that the author of the Entropa sculpture (based on stereotypes and created in 2009 to mark the Czech Presidency of the European Union) is also temporarily exhibiting some of his works in public spaces. Perhaps you’ll be lucky enough to stumble across one of them in an alleyway. Not to mention his numerous projects, such as this ship aground against a building, which will be the highest in the country, a pedestrian train carriage linking two buildings, or a giant supporting a building in the Karlín district. Increasingly ambitious projects, even if the last three works discovered are less impressive (the first is at the exit of the Nové Butovice metro station, the second in Walterovo náměstí, the third, I don’t know…)
In 2013, a giant middle finger in the middle of the Vltava towards the Castle (which is also the seat of the presidency) made headlines…
In the Smíchov district (Ke Sklárně 15), in a soon-to-be industrial zone, you’ll also find the rather underground cultural center MeetFactory (originally located in a slaughterhouse) with gallery, concerts, theater, artist residency and created by the artist (who lives in the district) and where cars are hung on the facade. Right next door, since April 2023 and in the renovated former Lihovar distillery that remained abandoned for 20 years, David Černý has opened his «museum», which he sees as a mausoleum (hence the gallery’s name: Musoleum) for his older works. You can’t miss the building, there’s one of his fetish babies on one of the walls just like on Žižkov’s TV tower.
Černý said that a few years ago he was approached by the National Gallery to do an exhibition, but the overly bureaucratic aspect of a twice-postponed collaboration made him vow never to deal with a state institution. His museum is housed in the main Varna building (listed and protected) and, over 5 floors, features a permanent exhibition of the sculptor’s work (including landmark pieces such as the Trabant on legs) as well as guest artists. The Musoleum’s 1,200 square meters include a bar and café with many preserved historic industrial elements. Visitors will also be able to stop off at two outdoor terraces overlooking the city. The area will soon undergo a metamorphosis, with developer Trigema (with whom Černý collaborates as with other developers: see the giant Lilit statue at the start of the article) creating a residential district on the site. The architecture of the complex is, incidentally, the work of David Černý’s studio, Black n» Arch.
A photo published by Kristyna Policek (@kristynapolicek) on Sept. 9, 2016 at 2:47 am PDT
You can also discover all the artist’s other works David Černý«s website
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David Cerny’s career as an artist began in prison. Find out why below.
In the spring of 1991, while still a student, he was jailed for a few weeks for hooliganism and repainting pink a tank that, on its 5-meter pedestal, paid tribute to the liberation of the city by the Red Army at the end of the Second World War. After official protests from the Russian government, the tank will be repainted green… before 15 parliamentarians, protected by their immunity, repaint it pink to protest the artist’s arrest! Černý was released and the tank, repainted several times in the meantime, is today in the military museum in Lešany.
David Černý, a king of satire
In 2009, during the Czech Presidency of the Council of the European Union, the monumental Entropa was unveiled in Brussels. «Sold» as a collective work by 27 contemporary artists who had worked on national stereotypes, it was in fact the work of Černý alone. France is associated with the strike, Poland with priests armed with rainbow flags, Italy with a soccer pitch, Bulgaria with Turkish-style toilets… The result is a fine polemic!
Qualifying for the Olympic Games
In 2012, he stayed with the stereotypes, designing a red double-decker bus bound for the London Olympics. What’s special, however, is that the bus features a series of push-up sessions, as you can see in the following video . Today, the bus stands off-center in the Chodov district of Prague 4.