Dr. Meda Mládková

Meda Mládková was born in 1920 in Zákupy in Eastern Bohemia. From 1946, she studied French and history of art in Switzerland, where she helped publish a compatriot periodical and also occujpied herself with other publishing activities. She studied economicsd in Paris and, after marrying Jan Mládek, who worked there as an aconomist for the International Monetary Fund (1960), she devoted herself to intensive art collecting. Her love of art was sparked by František Kupka, whos work she began promoting among French experts. She also bought works of art by unofficial Czech artists who were unable to exhibit in Czechoslovakia for political reasons (Nepraš, Načeradský, Kolář, etc.). After visiting Prague in 1967, she succeeded in persuading the Ford Foundation to grant fellowship to Czech artists. Over the course of twenty years, she accumulated a collection of 1,200 paintings, of which 220 were painted by Kupka. After 1989, she decided to donate the collection to Prague and install it at the Sova Mills Museum on Kampa Island. She spent several years reconstructing this building. After numerous teetheing problems, either administrative or related to the protection of cultural heritage, the museum was opened for the collection in 2000. Dr. Mládková handed over her entire collection of the work of František Kupka to representatives of the Prague City Hall on June 27, 2002. The final competion of the reconstruction of the Sova Mills and the launch of the Kampa Museum was delayed when the Vltava river caused severe flooding in the summer of 2002, the aftermath of which took a year to clear up. Therefore the official opening was postponed until September 2003.

- From the materials MZV ČR -

Recently Madame Meda offered to the City of Prague that she would take appropriate care of the so-called Werich Villa in Kampa and that she would turn it into another museum. She planned to exhibit memorabilia reminding visitors of the unforgettable comedians Jan Werich, Jiri Voskovec and of other persons whose lives had some connection to the Werich Villa. Unfortunately- due to some corrupt dealings- the officers running the City of Prague wanted to rent the Villa to some firm called Colly that sells ordinary ,rather worthless "art objects" that you can buy anywhere, expecially on Charles Bridge in Prague. Luckily, the citizens of Prague opposed this move and the byrocrats had to announce that the villa is still available and will be rented to a more desirable bidder. It is to be hoped that this time Madame Mladkova- and common sense- will win.