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EntertainmentCzech performance artist Milan Knížák dies at 86
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Czech performance artist Milan Knížák has died at age 86, as announced by Czech Culture Minister Oto Klempir. Knížák was a key figure in the Fluxus movement and founded the rock group 'Aktual.' In 1965, he invented 'Broken Music,' a practice of destroying and reassembling vinyl records to create new sound art. After the 1989 Velvet Revolution, he served as rector of the Academy of Fine Arts in Prague (1990s) and director of the Prague National Gallery (1999-2011), where his authoritarian leadership style and refusal to lend artworks abroad drew criticism. He received the Czech Medal of Merit in 2010. His works were exhibited internationally in Germany, France, the USA, and Japan.
Source report
Milan Knížák shaped the Czech art scene as a performance artist and educator. His work as rector of the Academy of Fine Arts Prague polarized. An obituary.
July 26, 2026 | 2:53 PM
Milan Knížák in 2023 at an exhibition in front of one of his paintings. Photo: Krumphanzl Michal/CTK/dpa
dpa/taz — Czech performance artist Milan Knížák has died. The former long-time director of the Prague National Gallery died on Sunday at the age of 86, as Czech Culture Minister Oto Klempir announced on X. Knížák placed human freedom and the freedom of the work at the center of his art, the politician emphasized. As an educator, he shaped generations of artists.
During the socialist era, Knížák was active in the underground art scene and founded the rock group "Aktual." As a representative of the Fluxus movement, he participated in happenings.
In 1965, Knížák developed "Broken Music," for which he broke, burned, or scratched records. He glued fragments of different records together to form new records, painted some of them, and then played them — not necessarily to the benefit of the record players used. Recordings of the results of this creative destruction appeared in 1979 on intact records.
Criticism of Leadership Style
After the democratic revolution of 1989, Knížák became rector of the Academy of Fine Arts in Prague. From 1999 to 2011, he headed the Prague National Gallery with its valuable art collection. However, he was highly controversial in this role.
Critics criticized his leadership style as authoritarian and accused him of hardly cooperating with foreign museums. At times, Knížák completely banned loans to other countries — out of fear of confiscation due to state legal disputes.
Knížák was born on April 19, 1940, in Pilsen (Plzeň), but grew up in the West Bohemian spa town of Marienbad (Mariánské Lázně). His works were seen in exhibitions in Germany, France, the USA, and Japan, among other places. Then-President Václav Klaus awarded him the Czech Medal of Merit in 2010.
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Performance artist Milan Knížák dies: The inventor of 'Broken Music'