Love You from Prague is a major exhibition featuring the world-famous photography of Robert Vano, known for his platinum printing and pioneering work with male nudes. The exhibition opens in Notting Hill on 25 June 2026 and runs until 4 September 2026.
This retrospective offers a curated selection of Vano’s work from the 1980s to today, with a special focus on the vibrant 1990s. It features over 50 photographs divided into three exhibits: his fashion magazine work from cities like New York, Paris, and Milan; dramatic images of Prague; and his well-known black-and-white male nude portraits, often created using his signature platinum printing. This rare and challenging technique is used by only a few photographers.
“Robert Vano is a globetrotter; throughout his life, he sought freedom for his work and life, took pioneering paths and created masterpieces. He also spent some time in London at the very beginning of his artistic career, and we are thrilled to bring him back through our exhibition. Whether it is dramatic Prague scenery, fashion, or taboo-breaking male intimacy back from the 1990s, the photographs bear Vano’s unique signature, and their depth makes us think about the captured moments and their context”
Tereza Šídlová, Director of the Czech Centre
Robert Vano was born in Slovakia in 1948 and moved to the United States in the late 1960s to follow his dream of becoming a photographer. He started out as a hairdresser and makeup artist, which led him to meet fashion photographers and eventually assist them. One of his mentors was Horst P. Horst, a leading photographer from Hollywood’s golden era, who encouraged Vano to focus on male subjects. Taking Horst’s advice, “You like boys, so photograph boys,” Vano dedicated his career to photographing men and became one of the first to specialize in this area.
Inspired by Horst P. Horst, Vano visited modelling agencies to find subjects for his signature black-and-white male portraits and nudes. His largest photographic series, Boys from Bohemia, was created in 1992 after he returned from abroad. This series of over 200 images features three gym friends, capturing their energy, beauty, and playful spirit against the scenic Adršpach Rocks. The secluded natural setting offered a safe space for their closeness during the early 1990s, a time when LGBTQ+ rights were not as advanced as they are today. Selected photos from Boys from Bohemia comprise the first section of this retrospective, housed at the Vitrínka Gallery, The Czech Centre.
To build his fashion portfolio, Vano went to Milan, where the well-known Italian photographer and architect Marco Glaviano helped him connect with top fashion magazines and international models. Vano later used his fashion photography experience as Creative Director of the Czechoslovak edition of ELLE Magazine from 1994 to 2003. He especially enjoys Polaroid photography and Emulsion Lift, techniques he has used since the 1970s. The composition and dreamy feel of his colorful, soft-focus images are similar to the works of painters like Botticelli and Modigliani, as well as photographers Miroslav Tichý and Sarah Moon.
The next section of Vano’s London retrospective features his fashion polaroid series, Polaroid Sessions, which he created for Cento Cose, Vogue, ELLE, Dolce Vita, Harper’s Bazaar, and Marie Claire. These photos are displayed in the public area outside the Czech Embassy, only a short walk from the galleries.
After nearly 30 years in the USA, Vano returned to Czechoslovakia in the early 1990s and has lived in Prague ever since. The third section of the Love You from Prague exhibition, called Prague Impressions, focuses on the city itself. Large images of famous Prague locations show the city as Vano saw it when he came back, describing it as an ‘enchanted Disneyland.’ The magical feeling of these photos is highlighted by their black-and-white style and dramatic clouds, which Vano waited two years to photograph.
“Everyone seems to have a plan, but I have no more plans. I’ve done everything I wanted to, and I’ve done it to the best of my ability.”
Robert Vano
Love You from Prague opens on 25 June 2026 (private viewing – free entry register now). Exhibition dates: 26 June – 4 September 2026 at Vitrínka and Bouda Galleries + nearby public outdoor space. 30 Kensington Palace Gardens, London W8 4QY, United Kingdom.
Tuesday – Friday 10am – 5pm. Public space outside Czeck Embassy open 24/7.
Preceded by Artist Talk with photographer Robert Vano on 24 June from 7pm.
Love You from Prague is organised by the Czech Centre.Kindly supported byFotoŠkoda and Astronauts.cz
