Bohemian Heritage Fund

Bohemian Heritage Fund is a Czech private endowment fund (nadační fond) founded in 2009 by a group of individual philanthropists, among them JUDr. Pavel Smutný, JUDr. Jaromír Císař and JUDr. Petr Michal. Its stated mission is to bring together a community of philanthropists in order to support top-level artistic projects that present Czech cultural and national heritage to the highest possible standard and help strengthen and develop Czech national identity, both at home and abroad. The fund describes itself with the motto "Spojeni uměním" (Connected by art). The fund's first public activity was the exhibition "Light up the lights!" ("Světlo!") at the Museum Kampa, devoted to the life's work of the exceptional theatre artists Robert Wilson and Josef Svoboda. Since then it has concentrated on classical music and the visual arts, supporting projects that would often not have come into being without private patronage. Its goals include protecting and developing national cultural heritage and monuments, supporting cultural projects — especially in classical music and fine art — cultivating and orienting Czech society, and popularising patronage as a topic of public discussion. Bohemian Heritage Fund works with a network of partner institutions including Concentus Moraviae, Collegium 1704, the Opera of the National Theatre, the Smetanova Litomyšl international opera festival and Smetanova výtvarná Litomyšl, the Ministry of Culture, the Lípa Musica international music festival and the Nadační fond Svatovítské varhany. It also runs its own projects, regularly organising benefit evenings for art with changing themes and goals, and it publishes the magazine Heritage, subtitled "Umění(m) žít", which since 2019 has been edited by the art critic and curator Lenka Lindaurová. Governance rests with a board (správní rada) headed by a president, with a vice-president, members and a reviewer. Pavel Smutný served as president for 15 years after the founding. The fund is a private, non-listed Czech entity and operates as a philanthropic foundation rather than a commercial company, though it functions as a recognised cultural brand in the Czech art world.

Bohemian Heritage Fund was established in 2009 as a Czech endowment fund (nadační fond) of individual philanthropists focused on supporting the arts. Its founders were JUDr. Pavel Smutný, who subsequently served as its president for 15 years, together with JUDr. Jaromír Císař and JUDr. Petr Michal. The fund's first event was the exhibition "Light up the lights!" ("Světlo!") at the Museum Kampa, which dealt with the life's work of the exceptional theatre artists Robert Wilson and Josef Svoboda. From the outset the fund's purpose was to bring together significant individual patrons of Czech culture and, with their help, to support Czech art — above all with a view to promoting it abroad. It committed itself to protecting existing cultural heritage and to enabling the creation of new work, and it also set out to develop patronage as a theme and to broaden public discussion about private financing in the arts. Its declared goals include the protection and development of national cultural heritage and monuments; support for cultural projects, especially in classical music and the visual arts; the cultivation and orientation of Czech society; and the popularisation of patronage. Its stated values are cultural identity, world-class quality, freedom, exclusivity and social responsibility. In 2016 the fund's activities included a press conference for the release of the complete Bach keyboard works performed by Zuzana Růžičková (30 November 2016); "Česká mše vánoční" for the St Vitus organ (3 November 2016); Collegium 1704 and Missa Salisburgensis at Versailles (25 September 2016); the exhibition "Tohle není poesie! (Zhroucení citů)" at Smetanova výtvarná Litomyšl (June 2016); and a donor evening for Magdalena Kožená and basic art schools (24 February 2016). Governance is provided by a board (správní rada) comprising a president, a vice-president, members and a reviewer. Over time the board has included RNDr. Tomáš Paclík as vice-president, JUDr. Jaromír Císař, JUDr. Petr Michal, Ing. Pavel Kysilka, CSc. and Dr. Ferdinand Trauttmansdorff as members, with Ing. Jiří Čech as reviewer. The fund maintains partnerships with institutions such as Concentus Moraviae, Collegium 1704, the Opera of the National Theatre, the Smetanova Litomyšl international opera festival and Smetanova výtvarná Litomyšl, the Ministry of Culture, the Lípa Musica international music festival and the Nadační fond Svatovítské varhany. Beyond grant-making, the fund runs its own initiatives, regularly organising benefit evenings for art with a different theme and goal each time, and it publishes the magazine Heritage, subtitled "Umění(m) žít", which since 2019 has been led by the renowned art critic and curator Lenka Lindaurová. The magazine covers both the fund's own activities and major themes of the Czech art scene and patronage. Recent activities highlighted by the fund include a grand festival celebrating a new organ in Prague (Svatovítský varhanní oktáv), a grant call under the banner "Kultura má zelenou" (Culture has the green light), and support for the premiere of the play Služebnictvo.

• 2019

  Lenka Lindaurová becomes editor-in-chief of the fund's Heritage magazine.

• 2016

  Donor evening for Magdalena Kožená and basic art schools (24 February).

• 2016

  Exhibition "Tohle není poesie! (Zhroucení citů)" at Smetanova výtvarná Litomyšl (June).

• 2016

  Collegium 1704 and Missa Salisburgensis performed at Versailles (25 September).

• 2016

  "Česká mše vánoční" for the St Vitus organ (3 November).

• 2016

  Press conference for the release of the complete Bach keyboard works performed by Zuzana Růžičková (30 November).

• 2009

  Bohemian Heritage Fund founded as a Czech endowment fund by Pavel Smutný, Jaromír Císař and Petr Michal.

• 2009

  First event: exhibition "Light up the lights!" (Světlo!) at Museum Kampa on the work of Robert Wilson and Josef Svoboda.

Private philanthropic endowment fund positioning itself as a patron of top-tier Czech art and national cultural heritage, promoting Czech culture at home and abroad and popularising patronage.

• Grant support for national and artistic projects

• Own projects and benefit evenings for art

• Projects for young people

• Heritage magazine (Umění(m) žít)

1. 1Úvod - Bohemian Heritage Fundbohemianheritage.cz
2. 2Bohemian Heritage Fund (Wikidata)wikidata.org
3. 3Bohemian Heritage Fund (Czech Wikipedia)cs.wikipedia.org