Over more than five decades, Rudolf Fila created a body of work that significantly influenced the character of Slovak painting, the conceptualization of the artwork, and entire generations of artists. His work transcended the boundaries of traditionally understood painting – becoming a space for dialogue with art history, philosophy, literature, and the act of seeing itself. The exhibition at the Slovak National Gallery maps his lifelong creative journey while presenting a comprehensive view of Fila's extraordinarily extensive oeuvre – from early experiments in abstract painting to iconic interpretations of works by old masters, down to late paintings, drawings, and works on paper.
"Rudolf Fila managed to expand the possibilities of the painted image and create an original language that connects Slovak visual tradition with European artistic thought. I believe the exhibition will be inspiring for the current generation as well, allowing visitors to discover Fila's work anew and recognize its permanent place in the history of our art," says Juraj Králik, Director General of the Slovak National Gallery.
The exhibition, curated by Vladimír Kordoš, maps Fila's lifelong creative journey divided into several central thematic units:
● The Fury of Painting (Furor pictoricus): An early creative period defined by an eruption of paint matter, the dialectics of unrest and fluid magma, with which Fila uncompromisingly sliced through the established conventions of depiction.
● Dialogue of Eros and Thanatos: The central axis of the author's visual cosmology, which fully developed in his iconic overpaintings and interpretations of works by old masters as well as banal prints.
● Transformations of the Gesture and Meditative Legacy: Later cycles focusing on the intimate detail of the human body (so-called "body-works"), where the original explosive force melts into quiet, deep meditation.
Fila perceived art as a space without borders, where the image itself represents merely a fuse, and the true explosion of thoughts is meant to occur in the mind of the viewer. The exhibition offers a comprehensive look at his artistic legacy,complemented by archival and theoretical documentation of his pedagogical and essayistic activities.
"My ambition was to pay tribute to Rudolf Fila, whom I immensely respected both as a person and as an artist. This exhibition shows the full breadth of his work, its starting points, and its diversity. Despite being given a large space at the Slovak National Gallery, it was not possible to present Fila across his entire spectrum, as certain areas cannot be exhibited or published due to inheritance rights (for instance, his pedagogical or literary work). My sincere thanks go to all state institutions and private collectors at home and abroad who helped me realize the vision of a well-deserved retrospective exhibition of Rudolf Fila's work," adds Vladimír Kordoš, curator of the exhibition.
Rudolf Fila (1932–2015) was a painter, essayist, and educator, as well as one of the most prominent figures of modern visual art in Slovakia. Through his long-standing tenure at the School of Applied Arts in Bratislava, he educated generations of leading Slovak artists. The core of Fila's creative program was the constant re-examination of the boundaries of the image. The genesis of his work evolved from early eruptive abstraction through iconic overpaintings and interpretations of books or reproductions of old masters – in which the painterly gesture entered into a tension between Eros and Thanatos – to a late, deeply meditative period. He also articulated his reflections on visual art in essayistic texts.
Exhibition: Rudolf Fila – A Painter Between Eros and Thanatos
Venue: SNG, Rázusovo nábrežie, Bratislava / Hall I and X
Duration: October 23, 2026 – February 7, 2027
Curator: Vladimír Kordoš
