A major new retrospective at Prague’s Galerie Villa Pellé will shine a spotlight on Jiří Trnka, one of the 20th century’s most celebrated animators, illustrators, and filmmakers. Running from May 21 through August 31, Trnka – The Story of a Legend marks the first comprehensive Prague exhibition devoted to the Czech artist since 1992. Curated by Martina Vítková and Trnka’s son Jan Trnka, the exhibit explores the enduring global impact of a figure often hailed as the “Walt Disney of the East.”
Trnka’s influence stretches far beyond Czech borders. His visually rich, emotionally resonant puppet films captured international audiences in the postwar era and helped define a uniquely European animation aesthetic—lyrical, handcrafted, and often quietly subversive.
His 1947 feature The Czech Year (Špalíček), 1950’s Prince Bayaya, and the Shakespeare adaptation A Midsummer Night’s Dream from 1959 won acclaim at major film festivals and brought Czech puppet animation to global prominence. Over the years, Trnka’s work was recognized with numerous accolades, including the prestigious Andersen Award for illustration and the Méliès Prize for cinematic innovation.
Internationally, Trnka’s studio was a destination for animation professionals. Jean Cocteau admired his work, and Walt Disney’s team visited Prague in 1952 to observe his techniques firsthand. At a time when animation was becoming increasingly industrialized, Trnka’s handcrafted puppetry and painterly style offered a compelling alternative—rooted in European folklore, yet universal in emotional power.
The Villa Pellé exhibition aims to present the full breadth of Trnka’s creative output, from early book illustrations and theatrical set designs to puppets, sculptures, and personal drawings. It also contextualizes his work within 20th-century Czech art, showing connections to contemporaries such as poet František Hrubín and actor-writer Jan Werich. Visitors can expect a deeply immersive, multimedia experience, including original puppets, restored films, interactive guides, and even a playroom and screening space for children.
“Jiří Trnka is an icon of 20th-century Czech visual culture,” said Villa Pellé director Vladana Rýdlová. “His work is part of our cultural heritage, and this exhibition seeks to connect generations—those who remember his films from childhood, and children today who may be encountering his magical world for the first time.”
Among the many highlights of the show are beloved characters from Broučci, The Good Soldier Švejk, and The Garden, alongside lesser-known works that reflect Trnka’s wide artistic range. The exhibit will feature original illustrations from the National Gallery and film material from Czech Television, the National Film Archive, and the studio Krátký Film. It also includes Trnka’s rarely seen paintings and polychrome sculptures—works that became a focus in the final years of his life after he stepped back from children’s book illustration.
Curator Martina Vítková noted the challenge and delight of selecting from Trnka’s extensive archives. “I focused on the pieces that continue to resonate emotionally—poetic, sometimes unsettling, but always deeply imaginative. The goal is to show the technical diversity of his work and how his stories and characters can still inspire creativity in a generation raised on very different visual traditions.”
A personal narrative also runs through the exhibition, particularly in the section devoted to Trnka’s five children, who often served as his first audience, models, and critics. “Each of us had a book that we thought of as our own,” said co-curator Jan Trnka. “When there were no more small children in the house, my father stopped illustrating children’s books and turned to painting and sculpture. But the stories he created for us continue to live on.”
In tandem with the gallery exhibition, Prague’s Kino Ponrepo will present a series of Trnka’s films, some newly restored. The retrospective includes classic features such as Old Czech Legends and lesser-seen shorts like The Hand—Trnka’s haunting 1965 allegory of artistic freedom under authoritarianism. The film, which was banned in Czechoslovakia for decades, remains one of the most powerful animated political statements ever made.
The exhibition also provides educational programming for schools, creative workshops for families, and guided tours featuring anecdotes from Trnka’s surviving children. Visitors will get a rare look inside Trnka’s artistic process through archival video, sketches, and models—many of which have never been publicly shown.
Supported by the Czech Ministry of Culture, Prague City Hall, and multiple private foundations, the exhibition reflects growing international interest in Trnka’s legacy. In recent years, his films have been restored and screened at major festivals, while his influence is increasingly acknowledged in academic studies of animation history.
“Trnka’s artistry was never just about technique,” said Rýdlová. “It was about capturing the spirit of storytelling in a visual language that transcended borders. This exhibition is a celebration of that legacy.”
Trnka – The Story of a Legend runs May 21–August 31, 2025 at Galerie Villa Pellé, Prague 6. Films will screen at Kino Ponrepo throughout the summer. For more details, visit villapelle.cz.
Lead photo: Jiří Trnka in Prague c. 1957 courtesy Archive Václav Chochola
