Meda Mládková, a Czech art historian, collector, and patron died in the early hours of the morning at the age of 102, according to the Jan and Meda Mládek Foundation and Museum Kampa, which she established.
“A very dismal morning greets the Kampa Museum. Meda Mládková, its creator, supporter, and art collector, died. … Meda, although spending a considerable portion of her life abroad, was always a passionate patriot and loved the Czech homeland.” Kampa Museum stated on Facebook.
“When political circumstances permitted her to return to the nation, she contributed to the Czech Republic’s cultural growth like few others.” “Because we are aware of this wonderful woman’s legacy, we will work diligently to conserve as much of it as possible,” the museum stated.
Mládková suffered from complications following hip joint surgery, according to politician Ji Pospil, who is also chairman of the Kampa Museum’s board of directors. She died in her Kampa flat, where she was staying.
Between 1955 and 1960, she studied art history in Paris and ran Edition Sokolová, a Czech publishing house that published the first monograph on Czech painter Toyen. She met the Czech painter Frantiek Kupka while there and began collecting his work.
She also met Jan Mládek, one of the International Monetary Fund’s founders (IMF). They married and moved to Washington, D.C. in 1960.
