The National Gallery's Trade Fair Palace is a strong contender for Prague's best art museum. The collection focuses on art of the 19th and 20th centuries and features an unexpectedly rich collection of world masters, including Van Gogh, Picasso, Schiele, Klimt and others. The holdings of Czech interwar abstract, surrealist and Cubist art are worth the trip alone.
Star-Studded Third Floor
Most visitors head straight for the 3rd floor to enjoy works from an impressive array of household names of late-19th- and early-20th-century art, including works by French masters Monet, Gauguin, Cézanne, Picasso, Delacroix and Rodin. Look out for Gauguin’s Flight and Van Gogh’s Green Wheat Field. The 3rd floor is also home to a stunning assembly of interwar (1918–38) Czech art. Standouts here include the geometric works by Czech master František Kupka, and Cubist paintings, ceramics and design by several artists – these paintings show an interesting parallel with the concurrent art scene in Paris.
Don't Miss the Fourth Floor
Not to be outdone by the 3rd floor, the museum's 4th floor is another tour de force, featuring breathtaking landscapes and portraiture of what the curators here have called the "long 19th century" (running from 1796 to 1918). Look out for major works by well-known painters, such as Gustav Klimt, Egon Schiele and Edvard Munch, to list only a few. Two highlights take on distinctly feminine themes: Klimt’s luscious, vibrantly hued Virgin and Schiele’s much darker, foreboding Pregnant Woman and Death.
