A Brief History of the Brno Biennial
The cultural and political backdrop to the Brno Biennial’s origins was 1960s’ Czechoslovakia, with artists and designers asserting their right to free artistic expression while also comparing their work with that produced by their international counterparts. The First Czechoslovak Exhibition of Poster and Promotional Graphics was organised by the Moravian Gallery, Brno, in 1964. From 1966 onwards, regular international exhibitions embracing a wide spectrum of graphic design were to follow. The original multi-thematic structure of the Brno Biennial comprised three exhibition disciplines. After 1968, one of these disciplines – exhibition design – was abandoned, as it proved too demanding. Two basic subjects have alternated at the Brno Biennial since 1970: (1) poster, corporate identity, information and promotional graphics; and (2) graphic design and typography in books, magazines, newspapers and the digital media. For over five decades, the Brno Biennial has provided a major international platform for exhibitions, discussions, and relevant accompanying programmes on the dynamically expanding field of graphic design and its importance to visual culture.

The Moravian Gallery in Brno
Exceptional in the extent of its coverage, the Moravian Gallery in Brno, is the second-largest art museum in the Czech Republic, and the only one which addresses visual art in all of its aspects – including painting, drawing, prints, and sculpture down the ages to the present day, as well as photography, decorative arts, graphic design and architecture. The gallery’s long history began in 1818 with the foundation of the Francis Museum, incorporating a picture gallery from the outset. In 1961, a newly established institution merging free and applied art was given new premises and its current name: the Moravian Gallery in Brno. Today, the gallery makes use of four architecturally remarkable buildings: the Pražák Palace, the Museum of Applied Arts, the Governor’s Palace, and the Jurkovič House. Together with MAK – the Austrian Museum of Applied Arts/Contemporary Art in Vienna – it also manages the Josef Hoffmann Birthplace in Brtnice, near Jihlava. The Moravian Gallery in Brno, presents visual culture from the Czech Republic in a European context at both permanent and short-term exhibitions. It also works with a number of institutions at home and abroad, and participates in international projects.