Josef Váchal - mystical artist of the last century

The Portmoneum is a house originally belonging to Josef Portman, a Litomyšl bibliophile and printer. He accompanied his hand-set prints with works by the best contemporary authors. This is how he met Josef Váchal, a painter, writer and all-round artist who came to Litomyšl to visit him in the 1920s. Portman asked Váchal to decorate the ceilings and walls of two rooms in his house, which Váchal accepted, resulting in a very interesting, colourful space. Here, seemingly disparate figures of devils, goblins and ghosts alternate with classical Christian motifs or references to Hinduism and other oriental teachings, creating a captivating blend that will overwhelm your senses.

The portmoneum was completely renovated in 2019 - 2020. In the new attic space there is a multimedia exhibition where you can see, for example, a video mapping about the life and work of Josef Váchal - the God and the Devil's Kumštýř.