About the MUD*
About The Museum of Art and Design Benešov
The Museum of Art and Design Benešov, contributory organization (hereinafter also „MUD*“) is unique within the Central Bohemian Region in terms of its focus on design. It was established in 1990 by the District Office in Benešov as the Gallery of Fine Arts.
The collection activities of MUD* are oriented toward visual art (i.e., fine art, design and graphic design, architecture, etc.) primarily from Bohemia and Moravia, focusing mainly on the period from 1900, with emphasis on the years from 1945 to the present, while special attention is paid to regional artistic production from the Benešov area. Currently, its collection includes items from the fields of painting, graphics, photography, sculpture, and design. The collection consists of 13 820 museum objects.
In our work, we follow the new museum definition adopted on August 24, 2022, at the ICOM Prague 2022 General Conference: „A museum is a not-for-profit, permanent institution in the service of society that researches, collects, conserves, interprets and exhibits tangible and intangible heritage. Open to the public, accessible and inclusive, museums foster diversity and sustainability. They operate and communicate ethically, professionally and with the participation of communities, offering varied experiences for education, enjoyment, reflection and knowledge sharing.“
A significant task of MUD* is not only caring for the collection but also activities in the cultural-educational field. In addition to art workshops for the public (children, adults, seniors), we regularly organize numerous cultural events, lectures, discussions, concerts, film screenings, and theatre performances. We want to give much more space than before to scientific research activities and make the collections accessible for study purposes (research agenda).
MUD* is a member of the Council of Galleries of the Czech Republic, the Association of Museums and Galleries of the Czech Republic, and ICOM.