Contemporary Prague: David Cerny’s Striking Art Installations

Discover one of Europe’s most mischievous artists on a walk through Prague that goes far beyond medieval towers and baroque palaces.

On this art-focused walking tour, I’ll introduce you to the artist David Černý, and show you how he’s transformed the city into his personal gallery. His sculptures are provocative, funny, cheeky – and sometimes downright shocking.

The tour begins at Wenceslas Square, where you’ll first encounter Černý’s horse and rider sculpture that flips the country’s most sacred symbol upside down – literally. From there, you’ll weave through the New Town and Old Town’s medieval streets. As you walk, I’ll tell you how this rebel artist has transformed his city’s identity by sneaking contemporary art into UNESCO-protected historic streets, creating pieces that make you laugh, think, and sometimes scratch your head. You’ll also hear about breakthrough pieces that catapulted the artist to fame on both the local and international scene – naturally, through scandal.

You’ll make your way across the iconic Charles Bridge to the Lesser Town, where Černý’s other notorious and highly photographed works await. Each sculpture tells a story about Czech history, politics, and human nature – all with Černý’s trademark dark humor. The tour ends beside his Pink Tank artwork, which became a powerful symbol of post-communist transformation.

On this two-hour tour, you’ll see several artworks by Černý and have a chance to:

• Be mesmerized by the rotating 42-layer head of Franz Kafka that morphs and realigns in a meditation on identity and transformation
• Admire the giant yet delicate butterflies with fighter plane bodies commemorating Czech WWII pilots who fought with the RAF
• Encounter art like Man Hanging Out, based on psychoanalyst Sigmund Freud, and other work inspired by significant figures like revolutionary Václav Havel
• Spot the surreal Embryo glowing on a drainpipe outside the experimental theatre where Václav Havel worked
• Spot the Three Graces, fibreglass figures that lounge on the rooftop above a historic palace with lampshade heads
• Ponder why two bronze men write words with their streams into a fountain
• View the barcode-faced crawling babies that have become one of Prague’s most recognized artistic symbols
• Admire the elegance of a rotating gymnastic tribute to Olympic legend Věra Čáslavská

By the end of this tour, you’ll have seen Prague through the eyes of its most notorious contemporary artist. You’ll also have heard the fascinating backstories behind Černý’s iconic works while admiring and photographing some of Prague’s most talked-about landmarks. This tour is perfect for art enthusiasts and curious travelers alike.