MUSEUMS AND GALLERIES
Exhibitions
Libuše Niklová’s work has been featured in various exhibitions for over 60 years. With the exception of three traveling exhibitions in 2010 and 2011, there are only a few exhibits at each exhibition. A larger collection can be seen only in Napajedla, in the city museum. We now have a roughly five times larger collection of Libuše Niklová’s work and we want to share it with the public. So we are planning traveling exhibitions in the Czech Republic and abroad. Follow us for more information.
- Current exhibitions
- Permanent exhibitions
- Future exhibitions
- Exhibitions for rent
- History of exhibitions
Current exhibitions
DĚDIČNÁ ZVÍŘENA - HEREDITARY ANIMALS
The František Drtikol Gallery in Příbram presents the exhibition "HEREDITARY ANIMALS", which connects the work of the iconic designer Libuše Niklová and her son, the artist Petr Nikl. The exhibition, which opened on 28 May, features the largest ever showcase of Libuše Niklová's toys and brand new glass puppets by Petr Nikl. This unique exhibition traces childhood as a key moment in the discovery of the world and identity. The exhibition runs until September.
- Date of event: May 28th, 2025 - September 12th, 2025
- Venue: Frantisek Drtikol Gallery, Příbram
![{"capture_mode":"AutoModule","faces":[]}](https://www.libuseniklova.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/dedicna-zvirena-pribram4-768x576.jpg)
![{"capture_mode":"AutoModule","faces":[]}](https://www.libuseniklova.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/dedicna-zvirena-pribram5-768x576.jpg)
![{"capture_mode":"AutoModule","faces":[]}](https://www.libuseniklova.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/dedicna-zvirena-pribram6-768x576.jpg)
Retro radosti: hračky a kočíky minulosti - Retro Joys
The exhibition "Retro Joys: Toys and Strollers of the Past" at Trenčín Castle offers a fascinating insight into the world of children's joys of past decades. This time, visitors can look forward to a number of exhibits that will take them back to nostalgic memories of childhood and carefree days full of childhood fun. The exhibition also includes designer toys by leading designers, headed by Libuše Niklová.
- Date of event: March 1st, 2025 - November 2nd, 2025
- Venue: Trenčín Castle, Trenčín, Slovakia
Petits Mondes - Small Worlds
The "Petits mondes" exhibition features works from the collections of the Centre Pompidou, the Centre national des arts plastiques, the Musée des Arts décoratifs de Paris and the Mobilier national. It explores the world of childhood, where furniture, toys, decorative objects and illustrated books stimulate imagination and creativity, fostering children's personal development. The thematic tour, which plays with the domesticity of the Hôtel des Arts TPM, a former private mansion, looks at the different spaces and types of objects dedicated to childhood, such as the bedroom, the nursery or construction games, through 200 works.
- Date of event: June 27th, 2025 - November 2nd, 2025
- Venue: Hótel des Arts, Toulon, France
Permanent exhibitions
So far there is only one permanent exposure of Libuše Niklová‚s work with a significant amount of original pieces.
Hřiště hraček - Playground of Toys
The unique permanent exhibition of toys by Libuše Niklová and Alfréd Klug was designed for the Muzeum Napajedla by the artist Petr Nikl. The work of the designers from Fatra Napajedla, whose originality surpassed the usual toy production in Czechoslovakia in the 1950s and 1970s, is presented here in a pleasant form. years and even many of today's products. In the exhibition, you will find rubber figures from Gumotex Břeclav, the famous inflatable elephant and buffalo, or accordion-whistling toys led by the iconic Líba the Tomcat. The playful concept is complemented by the large-scale game "Man, don't be angry!", a touch game, or the fairy tale The Tomcat's Friends.
- Date of event: Permanent exposure
- Venue: Muzeum Napajedla, Napajedla
L’Avènement des plastiques - The advent of plastics
From the turn of the 1950s and 1960s, the furniture industry seized on products derived from petroleum: plastics. Attractive for their low cost, the use of ABS (Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene), polyethylene and other thermoplastic resins marked the introduction of new materials into the world of design. These synthetic derivatives are strong, light and lend themselves easily to color treatment. In Alain Resnais' film Le Chant du styrène (1958) the qualities of petroleum are celebrated as the embodiment of a magic liquid allowing limitless production. However, if the materials are very cheap, the development of the molds is expensive. The manufacture of objects thus only becomes profitable on an industrial scale, thanks to mass production. It is then the beginning of a production in multiple fields: from furniture to kitchen utensils, passing by the car like the famous Méhari.
- Date of event: Permanent exposure
- Venue: Musée des Arts Décoratifs, Louvre, Paris
Future exhibitions
Here you will find basic information about our future exhibitions. We are currently negotiating several interesting destinations both in the Czech Republic and abroad. If you are interested in organizing an exhibition of Libuše Niklová’s work in your museum or gallery, do not hesitate to contact us.
Exhibitions for rent
Are you interested in organizing an exhibition of Libuše Niklová’s work in your museum or gallery? Do not hesitate to contact us, we currently have two exhibitions on offer, but there will be more in time, so follow us for new projects.
Important exhibitions
Plastique ludique
The cheerful plastic toys of artist Libuše Niklová captivated Paris. The accordion tomcat, inflatable elephant and other toys by the artist Libuše Niklová were presented for the first time in Paris at an exhibition at the Museum of Decorative Arts in the Louvre. The exhibition was called Plastique ludique – Cheerful plastic. Over 120 toys, plaster designs and drawings by Libuše Niklová were on display.
Musée des Arts Décoratifs, Louvre, Paris, France
An almost five-month-long exhibition of Libuše Niklová's toys at the Museum of Decorative Arts, which is located in one of the wings of the Louvre Palace in Paris. A substantial article about the exhibition was published in Le Figaro and many other French magazines dealing with culture and design. The New York Times also mentioned the Paris exhibition of Libuše Niklová's work.
- Date of event: June 9th, 2011 - November 6th, 2011
- Venue: Musée des Arts Décoratifs, Louvre, Paris
- Attendance:
107Rivoli Boutique, Louvre, Paris, France
During the Plastique ludique exhibition, Libuše Niklová's inflatable toys, the giraffe, Haukola the buffalo and Vlastík the elephant, and Libuše Niklová's monograph book by Tereza Bruthansová were displayed in two shop windows in the library and the gift shop at the Museum of Decorative Arts in the Louvre in Paris.
- Date of event: June 9th, 2011 - November 6th, 2011
- Venue: 107Rivoli Boutique du Musée des Arts Décoratifs, Paris
- Attendance: ???
Galeries Lafayette, Paris, France
In one of the showcases in the famous luxury Galeries Lafayette on Boleuvard Haussmann, a herd of floating Haukola buffaloes was displayed as a banner for Libuše Niklova's Plastique ludique toy exhibition at the Louvre. This mini-exhibition was part of the Paris et Création event and there were 8 showcases, each referring to a different exhibition. Galeries Lafayette has several hundred thousand visitors a day, mostly tourists.
- Date of event: July 11th, 2011 - August 5th, 2011
- Venue: Galeries Lafayette, Haussmann Bd., Paris
- Attendance: several million
Century of the Child: Growing by Design, 1900-2000
An exhibition called The Century of the Child: Growing by design, 1900-2000. At this exhibition at the famous MoMA, the Museum of Modern Art in New York, over 500 objects, toys, photographs, drawings, etc. from authors from all over the world were exhibited. Several toys from the collections of the Museum of Decorative Arts in Prague were also on display, including several toys from the work of Libuše Niklová, for example the famous accordion tomcat, an inflatable giraffe, Vlastík the elephant or several rubber squeaky toys such as a dispatcher, a tamer or a doctor and a nurse. Libuše Niklová’s toys were on display in the section focused on reconstruction after the Second World War and the influx of products intended for children.
MoMA, New York, USA
The New York Museum of Modern Art organized the first retrospective exhibition dedicated to children's design. The exhibition, entitled The Century of the Child, looked back at the design of children's toys of the twentieth century, explored why modern art is so interested in it, and even looked for the beginnings of later trends in the design industry.
- Date of event: July 29th, 2012 - November 5th, 2012
- Venue: Museum of Modern Arts, New York
- Attendance:
Designing Modern Women 1890-1990
An exhibition called Designing Modern Women 1890-1990. At this year-long exhibition at the famous MoMA, the Museum of Modern Art in New York were showcased only objects designed by women from around the world. Only items from the collections of the Museum of Modern Art, New York, including three toys by Libuše Niklová were on display. Her inflatable toys, Haukola the buffalo, Vlastík the elephant and the Giraffe were on display.
MoMA, New York, USA
Libuše Niklová appeared in New York at the Museum of Modern Art alongside such female design icons as Charlotte Perriand, who collaborated with the architect Le Corbusier or Lella Vignelli. The Designing Modern Women 1890–1990 exhibition lasted almost a year.
- Date of event: October 5th, 2013 - October 19th, 2014
- Venue: Museum of Modern Arts, New York
- Attendance:
200 dm3 dechu
A two-month exhibition of the work of toy designer Libuše Niklova took place in the Museum of Decorative Arts in Prague and the House of Arts in Zlín. The retrospective entitled 200 dm3 dechu (200 dm3 of breath) (the name of which recalled the role played by air in Libuše Niklová’s original creations) presented the work of this exceptional designer and the author of nine patented inventions, from early designs to well-known realized objects. Over 120 toys, plaster designs and drawings by Libuše Niklová were on display here, for example, the rubber figurines that Libuše Niklová designed from the mid-1950s to the mid-1960s at Gumotex Břeclav. Her legendary accordion toys, leading by a tomcat, as well as inflatable sitting toys, which she designed in Fatra Napajedla, were also on display.
Museum of Decorative Arts, Prague
The lifelong work of the pioneer in the field of toys, Libuše Niklová, whose work far surpassed the toy production of the time, was on display at the Museum of Decorative Arts in Prague from April 1st to June 6th. One of the initiators of the exhibition aptly named 200 dm3 of breath was the designer's son Petr Nikl, who simultaneously created an exhibition of his own work in the premises of the National Literature Memorial.
- Date of event: April 1st, 2010 - June 6th, 2010
- Venue: Museum of Decorative Arts, Prague
- Attendance:
Regional Gallery of Fine Arts in Zlín, House of Arts, Zlín
The Regional Gallery of Fine Arts in Zlín, more precisely in the House of Arts, had an extremely successful exhibition of toys by designer Libuše Niklová called 200 dm3 of breath. 3000 people visited it. About 700 visitors will come to see the "Normal Exhibition", we consider it a success if we exceed the thousand mark, exhibition curator Martin Beníček told ČTK.
- Date of event: February 2nd, 2010 - March 21st, 2010
- Venue: Regional Gallery of Fine Arts, House of Arts, Zlín
- Attendance: 3 000
How a tomcat travelled the world: Libuše Niklová's toys and their foreign hybrids
The world premiere of a revealing exhibition from a unique collection presented copies of accordion toys designed by Libuše Niklová, together with the original series of animals. Her famous Tomcat from 1963 crossed the borders of the then Czechoslovakia and was gradually modified according to local tastes and especially so that it was not exactly the same as the original. Lukáš Toman a researcher who is searching all around the world for those hybrids had displayed 100 versions of these famous accordion toys from his unique collection. Petr Nikl, the famous painter and son of Libuše Niklová was the author of the visual side of the exhibitions.
Museum of Decorative Arts, Prague
The first part of this discovery exhibition was presented by the Museum of Applied Arts in Prague from June 9 to October 2. The exhibition was organized on the occasion of the international museum conference ICOM Prague 2022. The exhibition was free and was visited by a large number of visitors from many countries around the world. Attendance can only be estimated, as the exhibition was located in the non-paying part of the museum. But all paying visitors also saw the exhibition, and there were 16,932 of them, as well as several hundred participants of the ICOM conference. According to estimates, there were at least the same number of non-paying visitors as paying visitors, so an estimated 35,000 visitors visited the exhibition.
- Date of event: June 9th, 2022 - October 2nd, 2022
- Venue: Museum of Decorative Arts, Prague
- Attendance: 35 000
Muzeum Napajedla, Napajedla
The second part of this discovery exhibition was presented by the Napajedla Museum from June 29 to October 8. The exhibition in the city of origin of this famous cat presented several previously unknown mutations of cats and was seen by 1800 visitors.
- Date of event: June 29th, 2023 - October 8th, 2023
- Venue: Muzeum Napajedla, Napajedla
- Attendance: 1 800
100 Years of Czech Design
It was the first ever exhibition in Japan that was devoted to Czech design and its history in such a broad way. The core of the exhibition was made up of objects from the collections of the Museum of Decorative Arts in Prague, starting with the work of Alfons Mucha and Czech glass and porcelain, through posters, furniture, toys to animated films and illustrated books. The exhibition presents Japanese visitors with around 250 exhibits that symbolize the best of Czech design. 12 toys by Libuše Niklová from our collection were also on display at the exhibition. Some in the main exhibition and some in the children’s corner.
MoMAK, Kyoto, Japan
On May 26th, 2020, after a long break in the operation of the National Museum of Modern Art in Kyoto, the exhibition 100 years of Czech design was opened. The entire date of the exhibition has been moved, so visitors could come and see the best of Czech design until July 5th, 2020.
- Date of event: May 26th, 2020 - July 5th, 2020
- Venue: The National Museum of Modern Art, Kyoto
- Attendance: 11 899
Setagaya Art Museum, Tokyo, Japan
The exhibition 100 years of Czech design, after being presented in the cities of Okazaki and Toyama, moved to Tokyo, where it was shown at the Setagaya Art Museum.
- Date of event: September 14th, 2019 - November 10th, 2019
- Venue: Setagaya Art Museum, Tokyo
- Attendance: 17 201
Toyama Prefectural Museum of Art and Design, Toyama, Japan
An exhibition called 100 years of Czech design moved to the Toyama Prefectural Museum of Art & Design after its success in Okazaki.
- Date of event: June 1st, 2019 - July 28th, 2019
- Venue: Toyama Prefectural Museum of Art and Design, Toyama
- Attendance: 13 851
OkazakiCity Art Museum, Okazaki, Japan
In the city of Okazaki in Aichi Prefecture, from April 6th until May 19th. it was possible to visit an exhibition dedicated to the century-old history of Czech design.
- Date of event: April 6th, 2019 - May 19th, 2019
- Venue: OkazakiCity Art Museum, Okazaki
- Attendance: 6 817
The Museum of Modern Art, Hayama, Japan
The popular traveling exhibition 100 years of Czech design moved from the Museum of Modern Art in Kyoto to Kanagawa prefecture, where it was from July 31st until September 22nd on view at the Museum of Modern Art in Kamakura and Hayama.
- Date of event: July 31st, 2020 - September 22nd, 2020
- Venue: The Museum of Modern Art, Hayama
- Attendance: 10 362
Plush, Play & Pioneers - Women in toy design
Women have played a key role in the creation of some of the best known and most popular toys: from classic dolls and plush toys to building blocks, from board games to therapeutic educational toys. These women paid close attention to the needs of children and shaped educational reforms.
This exhibition showcases pioneering women who were or still are successful in the toy industry, highlighting their creative work, working conditions and struggle for equality. The women depicted have influenced the toy world and, through innovation and entrepreneurial spirit, have created many toys that are now represented in museums around the world.
Spielzeug Welten Museum, Basel, Switzerland
This unique exhibition was presented by the largest toy museum in Europe.
- Date of event: March 8th, 2024 - October 27th, 2024
- Venue: Spielzeug Welten Museum Basel, Switzerland
- Attendance:
Here We Are! Women in Design 1900 – Today
Whether in furniture design, fashion design, industrial design or interior design, women have made a major contribution to the development of modern design, both creatively and commercially. And yet design history books often fail to mention them. The exhibition „Here We Are! Women in Design 1900 – Today“ at the Vitra Design Museum seeks to help strike a balance. It features women designers over the past 120 years and tells a new, multi-voiced story of design against the backdrop of the struggle for equal rights and recognition. The exhibition features around eighty women in design, including modernist protagonists such as Eileen Gray, Charlotte Perriand, Lilly Reich and Clara Porset, business leaders such as Florence Knoll and Armi Ratia, as well as lesser-known figures such as social reformer Jane Addams. Current positions and future perspectives are represented by designers such as Matali Crasset, Patricia Urquiola, Julia Lohmann, as well as the collectives Matri-Archi(tecture) and Futuress. Furniture and interior furnishings are mainly on display.
Vitra Design Museum, Weil am Rhein, Germany
This exhibition by the Vitra Design Museum in Weil celebrates women designers. Libuše Niklová and her inflatable Giraffe are included in the exhibition. The exhibition is a travelling exhibition.
- Date of event: September 23rd, 2021 - March 6th, 2022
- Venue: Vitra Design Museum, Weil am Rhein, Germany
- Attendance:
Kunsthal Rotterdam, Rotterdam, Netherlands
Here We Are! is a celebration of more than 100 women who have been and are responsible for defining design. Enter this spectacular and colourful exhibition featuring furniture, ceramics, glass, jewellery, fashion, graphic design and textiles spanning 120 years. The starting point is the exceptional pieces from the Vitra Design Museum's collection. From Bauhaus pioneers and designs for space capsule interiors to legendary design classics and women who are currently redefining their profession through sustainable innovation. Discover a new perspective on the story of modern and contemporary design at the Kunsthal.
- Date of event: June 18th, 2022 - November 30th, 2022
- Venue: Kunsthal Rotterdam, Rotterdam, Netherlands
- Attendance:
Disseny Hub Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
The exhibition presents objects created by leading female heroines in various fields of design, from furniture, interiors, graphic design and lighting to textiles, ceramics and jewellery. Designers featured include Charlotte Perriand, Gae Aulenti, Lina Bo Bardi and Eileen Gray. The exhibition was created by the Vitra Design Museum in Weil am Rhein (Germany) and comes to Disseny Hub Barcelona with another section focusing on Spanish design. The exhibition in Barcelona includes the results of research carried out by the Collections Department. One section will be dedicated to pioneering designers in the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s, looking at around sixty names. Another section has also been added, featuring designs for women with contemporary pieces.
- Date of event: October 5th, 2023 - January 7th, 2024
- Venue: Disseny Hub Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
- Attendance:
Möbelmuseum Wien, Wien, Austria
The exhibition showcases women designers over the past 120 years and tells a new, multi-voiced story of design against the backdrop of the fight for equal rights. It features the work of some 80 women designers, including modernist icons such as Eileen Gray, Charlotte Perriand, Lilly Reich and Clara Porset, plus entrepreneurs such as Florence Knoll and Armi Ratia, as well as lesser-known figures such as social reformer Jane Addams. Contemporary positions are represented by designers such as Matali Crasset, Patricia Urquiola, Julia Lohmann and the Matri-Archi and Futuress collectives, who take visitors into the present and the future. The exhibition "Here We Are! Frauen im Design 1900 - Today" is as diverse as the discussion of feminism in our society today. It offers a fresh and up-to-date perspective on the history of modern design and contemporary debates, and provides food for thought on what design should be in the twenty-first century, who defines it and for whom it is intended.
- Date of event: March 1st, 2024 - June 30th, 2024
- Venue: Möbelmuseum Wien, Wien, Austria
- Attendance:
Design Museum Brussels, Brussels, Belgium
After a presentation in Weil am Rhein, Rotterdam and Vienna, the highly anticipated exhibition Here We Are! Women in Design 1900 – Today comes to Brussels. Through a rich collection of creative designs, the exhibition – curated by Susanne Graner, Viviane Stappmanns and Nina Steinmüller from the Vitra Design Museum team – traces the work and working conditions of women in design – from the beginnings of modernism to the present day. A journey through 120 years of design history that tells a multifaceted story of design in light of the struggle for equal rights and appreciation. Women have made crucial contributions to the development of modern design, both creatively and commercially, and yet they are often overlooked. The exhibition puts the spotlight on 80 women designers who have helped shape the design industry, including pioneers Charlotte Perriand, Eileen Gray, Lilly Reich and Clara Porset or entrepreneurs Florence Knoll and Armi Ratia, as well as discoveries such as the socially-minded Jane Addams. The exhibition – structured chronologically in four sections – offers a fresh perspective on modern and contemporary design.
- Date of event: October 16th, 2024 - March 9th, 2025
- Venue: Design Museum Brussels, Brussels, Belgium
- Attendance:
Play with Design
„Play with Design“ highlights the playful nature of design through a large sample of work by various professionals who are one in the same internationally. The exhibition explores the work of design masters such as Fredun Shapur (South Africa), Ken Garland (UK), Patrick Rylands (UK), Cruz Novillo (Spain), Antonio Vitali (Switzerland), Libuše Niklová (Czech Republic), Bruno Munari and Enzo Mari (Italy).
CCCC CEntre del Carme Cultura Contemporània, Valencia, Spain
- Date of event: June 23th, 2022 - October 23th, 2022
- Venue: Centre del Carme Cultura Contemporánia, Valencia, Spain
- Attendance:
Deťom na mieru
The exhibition, prepared by the Slovak National Museum and the Museum of Decorative Arts in Prague, presents works in the field of furniture design, toys and utility graphics for preschool and younger school-age children in socialist Czechoslovakia.
Many of the works of the twenty prominent designers on display, mainly wooden and textile toys and furniture sets, will be seen by visitors for the first time, as they were preserved only in the form of prototypes and never made it into mass production. The nationalised production was unable to respond adequately to the wishes and needs of customers, and the high-quality and interesting designs, tailored „for children“, remained in the drawers of designers or research institutions. At best, limited series for nurseries and kindergartens were produced on the basis of selected ones.
The second group of exhibits consists of plastic toys, toys produced by the Czech and Slovak ÚLUV / ÚLIV, paper cut-out books and children’s books, which could be bought in shops, but their design is so exceptional that without them it would have been impossible to present Czechoslovak children’s art from the 1950s to the 1980s.
Slovenské národní muzeum, Bratislava, Slovakia
- Date of event: November 30th, 2023 - June 2nd, 2024
- Venue: Slovenské národní muzeum, Bratislava, Slovakia
- Attendance:
